Shallow
by princetongirl11
Summary: Hogwarts 8th year/Post-war, Hermione becomes the prettiest girl in school overnight, and many people who once treated her like dirt are now obsessing over her. But what about her brains, and all the other things that make her so great? Do people only like her for her looks? There might be someone who cares for more than just that. Rated M for later chapters. OOC
1. Spilling the Tea

So, this is my first fic! I love Dramione, and after years of loving them I wanted to pay them tribute. I will try to post as much as possible, and update this story whenever I can. The story is set in 8th year, and the events prior to this fic are all canon. My story is also set in the third person, but I also tried to tell it from both viewpoints when things happened as you will see in the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor these characters, the brilliant J.K Rowling does !

 **Chapter 1: Spilling the Tea**

Hermione

Hermione was watching the rain fall outside her dorm room's window. It was nighttime, and she had had the worst day. Her boyfriend of 2 years, and long-time best friend of 8 years Ron Weasley had broken up with her to be with another girl. Whoever the girl was, was a mystery but what did it matter? He chose someone else over Hermione, who he had known for all his years at Hogwarts, and she was hurt beyond words. She couldn't even bring herself to hex him or curse him, because she was truly speechless.

So tonight, Hermione couldn't tear her eyes away from the incessant rain outside Hogwarts, and couldn't stop racking her brain about what she could have possibly done for this to have happened. Was she not pretty _enough_? Was she _too_ boring? Was it because she wouldn't _sleep_ with him?—' _no_ ', she thought, Ron couldn't be _that_ shallow… right?

As she continued theorizing about why Ron could have possibly left her, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, only to be woken up by a loud "CLANG."

Draco

Draco Malfoy was upset. He was almost always upset, but today, he was especially so. He had received word via an owl from his mother that he was to marry Pansy Parkinson at the end of the school year. It was now October, which meant he had less than a year to basically do whatever he wanted. "Fuck," he muttered, after reading the contents of the letter. He hated Pansy. Sure, she was pretty in an obvious way, but her personality was completely shallow. All she cared about was how she looked and what people thought of her… or what the pureblood elite thought of her. To make matters worse, he knew what it was like to be with Pansy, and she was the most clingy girl he had ever met.

He rolled his eyes, and threw the letter in his dorm room's garbage. 'I need some air,' he thought to himself.

As he opened the door to the common room he shared with the head girl, he saw her walk into the room looking distraught, which he thought was strange. She never shows her emotions, especially not here. Hermione then walked right past him without even making a glance in his direction and went straight to her dorm.

Draco was curious, to say the least. He had never witnessed the Gryffindor princess show an ounce of vulnerability, and here she was, storming into the common room looking like she was about to cry. Draco couldn't help but smile. Even with the war having ended, and him having been forced to carry out head duties with Hermione Granger, he still held some dislike towards her. After all, she was still a mud blood, and she still beat him in every class (which annoyed him to no end).

He then remembered why he had opened his bed room door in the first place, and continued his walk to go outside for air. He put on his robe and some "trainers", as Granger called them, and made his way outside. His quest for fresh air was short-lived however, as it was raining cats and dogs. He was _drenched_.

He ran back up to their common room as quickly as possible, and whispered "papillon", to their portrait before going inside. It was time for a shower, the thought. But before that he needed tea, so he opened the cupboard and out came all the pots and pans their common room kitchen had inside of it.

"Fuck," he said aloud, after all the noise had ceased. If only he used this kitchen more often he would know where everything was and this wouldn't happen. But since Draco was already having a bad day, it obviously had to get even worse because when it rains, it pours.

Hermione

"Fuck," she heard from outside her dorm room. Obviously Draco had to be up and about in the kitchen (which he was never in) the one time she actually needed to sleep and forget everything. "Ugh," she sighed. Hermione put on a fuzzy pink robe to cover up and went outside to see what the commotion was.

"Malfoy," she muttered from the top of the staircase that led to her room, "what the hell is going on?" As she walked down the stairs, her question was immediately answered as she saw all the pots and pans they had jumbled all over the floor.

"What does it look like Granger?" he spat, "can't you see your so-called 'organization' of our kitchen supplies has led to this whole mess?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Well maybe, if I had a little bit of help when organizing this entire place then this wouldn't be a problem" she shot back.

He looked taken aback, and also seemed to be wet and shivering. He must've gone outside, she observed. "All I wanted was to get out the kettle so I could make some tea," he continued, "I'm bloody freezing."

Hermione, too annoyed and tired to even continue bickering simply said "Okay then," and muttered a cleaning spell.

She then made her way to the cupboard next to the one Draco opened, and took out the kettle, as well as two tea cups, as she was finding herself in the mood for some green tea.

He looked at her in disbelief while she was doing all of this, and stayed quiet. The quiet between them wasn't awkward or spiteful though, and instead actually felt quite calming to the both of them. It was only when Hermione asked "Earl Grey or Green Tea?" that the silence broke.

"Earl Grey, with milk," he answered, and Hermione obliged. And as they sat in silence drinking tea in the common room, Hermione was observing Draco. She was surprised at his uncharacteristic quietness, and was taking advantage of this time to appreciate his appearance, which had been deemed "sex-god-like". She was finding these claims to be… true. Weird, she thought, that she could find her nemesis' once ghostly white hair to now be platinum and shiny, and his once threatening silver eyes to be compelling. The rest of his face and body were definitely attractive too, but she dared not look for too long, or he might say something and ruin the moment.

Without realizing though, Hermione went and ruined it instead. "Malfoy, why are your hair and clothes wet?" she blurted.

Draco, finally looking up from his tea, looked utterly confused. "Excuse me?" he answered.

Realizing that he was probably annoyed at her prying, as he was an extremely private person, but also not wanting him to think he could intimidate her, she repeated herself, "Why are your hair and clothes wet?"

"That," he spat, "is none of your business, _mud blood_."

And that was it. Without thinking about much…. Or at all, Hermione, who already had shed a tear at this point, took her cup of tea, which was almost empty, and threw the remaining contents right in his face.

Before he couldn't even react, she ran right back up to her room, and whispered "Colloportus" to lock her door, so that Draco didn't get any funny ideas while she slept.

The adrenaline rush she got from doing that faded quickly though, as she heard Draco calling her every name in the book from downstairs—including mud blood which always hurts the most. She looked at her arm and shuddered. The tears came flooding back, along with the memories of today's events, as well as past events and she just fell back on her bed and cried. She eventually cried herself to sleep, and dreamt of nothing.

Draco

Draco was surprised to find how pleasant Hermione Granger could be when she wasn't being an insufferable know it all. They were sitting in their common room quietly enjoying their teas, and Draco couldn't help but notice Hermione looking at him. He knew he was good looking, but he also knew someone like her would never be interested (nor would he want her to be), so it was surprising that she was trying to sneak some glances at him.

He almost smiled at himself, not knowing why Granger's approval of him felt good. As he was about to look back at her, she blurted out something, but he didn't quite hear her properly.

"Excuse me?" he quickly said, and was met with a look of uncertainty from Hermione. It seemed like she was rethinking whatever it was she said.

Draco noticed a twinge of pink staining her cheeks, even though the common room was dimly lit, which only made his curiosity grow. Finally she asked again, "Why are your hair and clothes wet?"

He debated telling her the truth about his arranged marriage to Pansy, and how he was sick and tired of having everything in his life planned out for him, but he didn't want her sympathy. Nor did he want her to lecture him about the problems with pureblood society (which he was becoming more and more aware of), so instead he just spat "That, is none of your business, _mud blood_."

He immediately regretted it though, after all, she had been quite nice to him, and was asking a fair enough question. When he saw the hurt in her eyes, he almost apologized. Almost. Because right after he thought about apologizing, his face was met with the lukewarm green tea she had been drinking. And as soon as he opened his eyes to hex her into oblivion, she was gone.

"THAT BITCH!" he declared. How dare she throw tea in _his_ face? Didn't she know who she was dealing with? Then again, didn't he know who he was dealing with…? She was Hermione Granger, who clearly had a bad day and was just called a mud blood… but still TEA? In his face? He silently thanked whichever gods had blessed him with the timing of his words, because had it been a few moments earlier the tea might have burned his face.

Draco stood up, and marched around the common room cleaning up the mess, cursing her and calling her names… he was fuming. Hermione Granger had crossed Draco, on the worst day possible. He felt drained, and almost hopeless that everything was going wrong. He wanted to get his revenge, but he also felt guilty for calling her a mud blood.

Moving forward, he would no longer call her that, because he wanted to be better than his parents and their stupid ideals, but also because she didn't deserve it. Yes, she was annoying, but she was still a brilliant witch, blood status aside. Nevertheless, he would still get her back for the tea incident.

He thought about ways in which he could enact his revenge on the way back up to his dormitory. Upon arriving in his room, Draco let out a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding, and plopped himself onto the bed. He immediately dozed off, dreaming about throwing Granger's books into the fireplace.


	2. Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Hi everyone! So I hope you enjoyed my first chapter, I don't like revealing too many things at once, but I love dropping subtle hints as best I can:)

I would also like to thank those who reviewed, so thanks! I also previously said I would try to update this story as much as possible and as quickly as possible, and I shall!

Enjoy :)

 **Chapter 2: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes**

Hermione

The next morning in the Great Hall, Hermione sat next to Ginny and Harry, half-listening in on their conversation about what they were wearing to the Halloween ball. Hermione had almost forgotten about it, especially after yesterday's events. Now, she really wanted to forget about it, as she would no longer be attending it with a date, and still had to plan it with Draco.

She sighed, thinking about Ron, but also about what happened with Draco. She was genuinely hurt by what he'd said. She thought they'd made progress in their civility since school started, but that clearly wasn't the case. "What's wrong 'Mione?" asked Ginny, who also seemed to be staring at her like she had something stuck in her teeth.

Hermione looked up from her daze, as she clearly hadn't been paying any attention to their conversation anymore, "Nothing Gin, I just… don't think I still want to go to the ball, considering my current circumstances," was all she said.

Ginny, giving her a pitiful look replied, "My brother's a right foul git sometimes," then, looking at Harry and then back at Hermione, she added, "you don't need a date to the ball! I'm sure many girls are going without one."

Ginny then gave Hermione a smile of reassurance, and Hermione took it. "You know what Gin, you're right. I planned this ball, and I should very well attend it, date or not."

"Aye that's the spirit," added Harry, "you'll also have us to hang out with… except when we're dancing." And he then gave a wink.

Hermione smirked at that, "That's if you even dance, with the two left feet you have it might be slightly difficult Mr. Potter." And they all started laughing. Hermione had almost forgotten about how hurt she was, until she starting feeling weird. She felt like she was being watched, so she looked around the Great Hall.

As soon as she started doing a sweep with her eyes of everyone in the Great Hall, she noticed several people had been looking at her… mostly boys in particular. Then, her eyes landed directly on the Slytherin table—more specifically on the Slytherin Prince himself. He was also staring right at her and not breaking his stare for even the slightest moment. It was dizzying and very confusing… had he not deeply insulted her less than 12 hours ago? She wanted to roll her eyes at him. She wanted to flip him off. Where did he get the nerve to look at her that way? _Why_ was he even paying her any attention? His eyes said one thing, but the rest of his face said something else.

Hermione wouldn't shy away from a challenge though. He wanted to stare at her like that? She would stare back, and she did. They were having a staring challenge, and the only time their eyes would break contact was when one of them would look up and down at the other person's appearance.

Draco smiled then, and got up. He was evidently going to potions, which he and Hermione had together.

Hermione felt very uneasy afterwards, with other people still looking at her like she was a piece of meat or something… so she excused herself from Harry and Ginny, and made her way to potions with Slughorn.

Draco

He had taken his seat at the back of Slughorn's class, as per usual. He had been relieved when he was in the Great Hall and heard it was time to go to class, he couldn't handle another minute in there.

Draco had just spent the last 10 minutes before class having a staring contest with Hermione Granger, and felt hot. Like sweaty hot, and he was never sweaty hot (except for after Quidditch). He'd never noticed how pretty she had become, with her hair no longer frizzy, and with pretty caramel highlights. Her body was no longer at the awkward pre-pubescent stage, but had developed nicely into a proportional hour glass figure, with toned yet long legs. The best though, were her eyes. Yes, her face was also quite pretty, but her eyes could melt someone, and that's what they had nearly done to him.

No, he didn't like her, but he couldn't deny her beauty, and the effect it had on him. It was almost like it had happened over night, and apparently he wasn't the only one who had noticed. The entire Slytherin table had chattered during all of breakfast talking about Granger's sudden prettiness. She had always been pretty, but now she was beautiful? 'What the hell Draco? You hate her!' he told himself mentally.

Putting all his mushy Hermione thoughts aside, he needed to think about how to get his revenge.

Draco was snapped out of his revenge reverie when a familiar floral fragrance filled the air, and an all too familiar voice filled his ears. "Good morning, _Malfoy_ ," she spat.

He looked up knowing whose face he'd be met with before he could even see, and there she was, sitting in the seat joining his desk. 'Quite daring,' he thought to himself.

Keeping his classic smirk intact, he lazily moved his eyes to meet hers. He almost forgot what he was going to answer, but then said " _Granger_ ," almost purring, "you didn't let me thank you for last night." He'd decided he would get a rise out of her before surprising her with a nice cold serving of revenge.

"Thank me?" she looked incredulous, "I threw tea in your face," she whispered, as class had begun.

"Yes," he replied, "you most certainly did throw tea in my face, which I did not appreciate whatsoever." He looked at her then, just to see if her face would reveal any emotion, but it didn't. He took the time to notice up close how much she'd changed, in all the years he'd known her, she was definitely at her prettiest. Was she this pretty yesterday though? He didn't bother dwelling on that.

Draco didn't know that Hermione was emotionally stunned right now, but he was expecting something in retaliation. He quite enjoyed their bickering.

She wasn't answering though, and for the entire class he kept looking over to see if she was paying him any attention, but she ignored him and just took notes the whole time. It was infuriating, how could she dismiss him like that?

At the end of class, Hermione got up first, and right before exiting the class she looked back at Draco and said, "Just so you know, I was simply asking a question to make conversation, because I thought we could be friends. But you'll always see me as a filthy mud blood," he flinched at the word, "so I won't waste my time. Good bye Malfoy." And she left.

He now felt even guiltier than he had yesterday. Here Hermione was trying to extend an olive branch between them, while Draco was coming in with a chainsaw and cutting down the entire olive tree. He sighed. 'Why am I like this,'.

Hermione

As she walked out of class and into the hallway, Hermione felt a weight being lifted off of her shoulders. She had finally stuck it to him, and the look on his face was priceless. He actually looked… _ashamed_. And rightfully so, she thought. After all they'd been through in the last 8 years, with the war and seeing people they love die all around them, you'd think people would become more empathetic towards one another… but not Draco it seemed. After the horrific events Hermione had gone through in his own home, he still thought so lowly of her. She'd show him. After all, she knew he'd been trying to catch her attention the entire class, and had deliberately ignored him.

Finally feeling victorious about something in her life, Hermione's moment was taken away all too soon by none other than Ron Weasley.

He'd been following her out of potions, and she'd only realized once he tapped her shoulder. She spun around quickly and with her wand at the ready—some things never change, not even after you've won a war.

"OH, you scared me Ronald!" she said while putting her wand away.

He seemed nervous, like he'd never spoken to her before… and his cheeks were red. Hermione found it rather odd, so she raised her brow. "Hi, uh, 'Mione, I uh—just wanted to talk about yesterday with you if that's alright?" he asked nervously.

She debated walking away from him. What more could he have to say? Was he going to make things even worse?—Could things get even worse? "Okay, out with it then," was all she could muster.

He seemed surprised at her forwardness, it had been a while since she'd fired at him.. he quite missed it. "Well, you see, I regret acting the way I did with you yesterday. I made it seem like what we had wasn't important to me," he breathed, "but it was, and just because we can't date doesn't mean I don't want to keep our friendship." He looked at her in the eyes and simply said, "I'm sorry Hermione."

Hermione didn't know how to react, because on one hand, she also still wanted to maintain their friendship that had blossomed for 8 years, but on the other hand, she felt scorned by him. He had left her for someone else, and had been extremely insincere about it. He was apologizing though, and Ron was never one for apologies, which had to mean he meant it? Not knowing what else to say, she simply answered with the truth, "I appreciate your apology and I too, would like to remain friends, but I can't forgive you right now," she sighed while trying to keep her composure, "you really hurt me."

Not wanting to continue the confusing conversation, she spun on her heels and walked away from him, unaware of him staring at the back of her skirt, and the rest of her body in the process.

Side note, Hermione obviously has no idea that she is now very attractive, and as for the how/why, we shall see.

Please review :)


	3. I Ain't Callin' You A Truther

So I know things are progressing slowly, but it's for a reason! This chapter needed to happen, and here it is!

I would also like to thank those who reviewed, I really appreciate the feedback:) Please keep doing so!

Enjoy xx

 **Chapter 3: I Ain't Callin' You A Truther**

Draco

He'd just walked into his dorm room when his mother's owl knocked on his window. It was an all-black owl and had a silver and green collar around its neck, obviously. He opened the window and scoured his drawer for some treats for him that he had left over from Bubo (his eagle owl).

Upon treating the owl for his voyage, he took a letter that his mother had sent from him. He waited for the owl to leave before opening it, and was very disappointed after doing so.

The letter read, "My dearest Draco, I was worried when you did not reply to my last letter concerning your future. I hope you can find it in yourself to be happy with Pansy, and to appreciate her as one of the sacred twenty eight still a part of our society. I will be having lunch with her family, and I do hope you will try your best to get along with her as you have in the past. With love, Mother. P.S. Invite her to be your date to the Halloween Ball"

He had almost forgotten about his mother's arrangement with the Parkinsons, but of course she had to remind him. He summoned his owl and replied back to his mother simply obliging to everything she asked of him. He knew he shouldn't let her dictate his life, as the last time someone tried to do that he became his worst nightmare. The thing that made him soft with his mother was that she had nothing else to live for.

After the war, his father had essentially lost his mind and was staying at St. Mungos, and no one knew when he'd be back. Draco knew marrying Pansy and keeping his bloodline pure would be the main source of happiness in his mother's life, so he would do anything to keep her happy.

Draco decided to try and make the best out of this situation, even though Pansy could be a downright shallow prat. He made it his goal to try and find the good in her, after all, she was at least pretty.

'Not as pretty as Granger,' he corrected himself. What the hell? 'Stop thinking about her, you hate her!' he tried telling himself.

And obviously, as soon as he was thinking about her, he heard her enter the common room downstairs.

He decided he was going to speak with Pansy tonight at the prefects meeting (as she was a prefect) and see if she would go with him to the ball…but before that, he needed to eat something.

Hermione

She was drained. After her excruciating encounter with Draco, and utterly confusing conversation with Ron, she'd just about had it with everyone. As she walked into the common room, she noticed it was empty. 'Thank the Gods' she thought.

Hermione then plopped herself down onto the couch they had right in front of the fire place. Their common room was rather nice. It had both Gryffindor and Slytherin colours decorating the entire place in a way that stayed chic, yet had an old vibe to it. Very Hogwarts.

She also remembered that tonight was the last prefects meeting before the Halloween Ball, and she would have to interact with Draco again. 'Ugh' she thought, 'let me speak to him now then, so we're prepared.'

She walked up the staircase leading to his quarters, aware of the fact that she had never walked up there and when she got to his door, she was actually nervous. She really didn't want another altercation, and was almost hoping he wasn't there.

Hermione, mustering up all the Gryffindor courage she had left knocked on his door and to her dismay, Draco opened the door immediately.

He almost looked happy to see her.. which was weird, but that look was gone in a split-second. Instead, he decided to wear his world renowned smirk. "Granger…" he began, "this—this is very unexpected."

She sighed, "Yes, believe me I am more surprised than you are, but I wanted to talk to you about something before the prefects meeting."

He raised a brow, "I'm listening."

Hermione was taken aback by his politeness and almost forgot to ask her question but she reminded herself that she hated him. "I just wanted to ask you if your part in planning the Halloween Ball is complete? I wanted to make sure that as Head Boy and Head Girl we'd both be prepared for our final meeting tonight." She tried not to look into his eyes, because she knew she'd get lost; hate him or not.

"Yes, Granger, I've completed my part in planning the ball, I've spoken to the kitchen staff, as well as the entertainers… everything is set," he replied casually.

She felt relieved, the Halloween Ball would go as planned, and she was happy she could count on someone other than herself to get the job done to her standards.

"Good," was all she said before starting to walk away.

"Granger!" he called, "can I speak to you for a second before we head down for dinner?" he seemed defeated.

She hesitated. What if he was rude again? There was no way she could handle any more insults. Then again, she needed to be stronger than this, she was the brightest witch of her age for crying out loud. "Okay Malfoy, but I'm warning you now, I have my wand and will use it if appropriate."

His smirk had just smirked itself…if that was even possible. "No need, come in," he replied.

She hesitantly walked into his dorm room, and observed the darkness of it all. Aside from his Slytherin green walls, everything was black. His canopy bed was black, the drapes were black, as well as the sheets, the floor and everything else. She thought it was _very_ Draco.

Before Hermione could make any sort of remark, he began, "Look, I am not one for cheesiness or being nice for that matter, but I just wanted to apologize for how I reacted to you last night, and the word I used."

His smirk was now gone, and he now showed her something she had never seen from him, and that was sincerity. "I'm not excusing what I did, but I just want you to know I was having a wretched day and I took it out on you," he continued, "and for that I'm sorry Granger."

She was at a loss for words. Hermione Granger, getting an apology from Draco Malfoy… she was in a parallel universe. No other explanation could be plausible. Never in her life did she expect this, and never in her life would she had believed a word he'd said if she didn't know him. But she did. And she knew that Malfoy was even worse than Ron when it came to apologies, so she knew he wasn't lying…but then why be nice to her?

"Did you mean what you said though?" was all she could say in return.

He swallowed, "No. I didn't. To be quite frank, after I witnessed what my aunt did to you back at the manor…" he looked down, "and after the war, my ideologies have drastically changed to say the least."

"It's been hard to change them," he added, "when you believe something to be true all your life it is difficult to believe something else, but I'm trying. I hope you can forgive me, seeing as we have to spend a lot of time together, and we had made progress in the last month and half."

For some reason, Hermione really wanted to believe him. She knew she and Draco could never truly like one another, but she really wanted this year to run smoothly. Despite his past, she knew he wasn't completely horrible, but she also knew she shouldn't trust him.

"I forgive you Malfoy, and I hope you are being sincere because I would like for us to continue our head duties in an enjoyable manner," she finally said. He looked almost relieved, but it might have just been her imagination.

"I agree Granger, and I do mean what I said. I may not be your number one fan, but I don't think badly of you anymore," he honestly replied.

Hermione gave him one of her dazzling smiles that she usually saved for Harry or Ron, and told him she'd see him later.

Draco

"I agree Granger, and I do mean what I said. I may not be your number one fan, but I don't think badly of you anymore," he said honestly. He felt a weight being lifted off him, he had not been this honest with someone in a while and it felt good. He really hadn't hated Granger in a long time, and would rather getting along with her than not.

Hermione then shot him a beautiful smile, and said something about seeing him later. He was too stunned to even reply, as he was still caught up on her smile. She had never smiled at him, and he hadn't realized what he'd been missing. She was definitely the most interesting girl he'd ever encountered, partly because she had become so pretty out of nowhere, but also because she was so bright.

He'd never had anyone adequate enough for him intellectually when it came to friends or girlfriends, but she was. But they were from different worlds, he thought. He was going to marry Pansy, and Hermione was free to do anything she wanted. He laughed at that.

Draco found it ironic, how he had judged her for being trapped with the mudblood title, when she was able to do anything she wanted, while he was the one actually trapped with the pureblood title, forced to fulfill his parents' wishes.


	4. Stop and Stare

**SO I know it's been a little while and I'm so so so sorry for not updating sooner. I've just gone back to school so it's been a little hectic. I'm still very committed to this story and hope you guys are enjoying it thus far. I really appreciate your feedback/reviews/commentary so please continue to do so:) I'd also like to add that the events before my story are canon, but my story is obviously NOT so I do add things like a cellphone (just for HG). Furthermore, this chapter is not crazy eventful, but we do find out other people's perspectives on certain pressing issues... next chapter will be filled with GOODS!**

 **Enjoy xx**

 **Chapter 4: Stop and Stare**

Hermione

Hermione was seated in the Great Hall with Harry, Ginny and Ron. On her way down she had felt an extreme weight lift off her, as she was finally on good terms with both Ron and Draco and she couldn't be more thrilled. She could finally focus on more important things, like school and the ball.

She was now feasting in the Great Hall with her best friends… and life was better than it had been earlier that week. As she looked around the Great Hall however, she noticed that people had still been looking at her strangely… no one had ever paid her much attention, unless it had to do with Harry.

"Guys, is there something wrong with how I look? Is there a new rumour going around about me or something because people keep looking at me funny.." she finally asked.

Harry, Ginny and Ron all looked at each other, without saying anything at all. Finally, Ginny replied, "No… not at all 'Mione, you're probably just imagining things," she shrugged, "or maybe they're just looking at Harry." Slightly offended, Hermione simply nodded in agreement, but something still felt weird.

Draco

Still feeling lightheaded after his conversation with Hermione, Draco entered the Great Hall and made his way to the Slytherin table. Upon arriving, he noticed a lot of his house-mates had been looking over at Granger and it made him feel uneasy.

"She did not look like _that_ before," spat Tracey Davis, who was seated beside Pansy and Blaise.

Draco was seated across from them, and pretended to appear uninterested.

"Draco," Pansy inquired, "do you think she's changed? After all you practically live together…"

He hesitated, as he definitely had noticed her sudden change in appearance. She had gone from being pretty in the most subtlest of ways, to becoming obviously beautiful. He thought he had been losing it, but was glad other people had noticed as well.

He didn't want them to think he paid her any attention though, especially not Pansy, so he simply played dumb. "Changed? Changed how?," he replied.

Pansy rolled her eyes, which only made her pug-face even more puggish… if that was possible? "Really Draco? You haven't noticed the Gryffindor Princess' sudden… physical changes? I mean, for starters her teeth have dramatically changed,—" Draco interjected, "Her parents are dentists… they fix teeth in the muggle world." Pansy ignored him, "Her face is slightly more pleasant to look at anyway, and her hair is no longer the frizzy brown mess it once was."

Tracey added, "I think she got a year supply of sleekeazy's or something."

"But the color?," snapped Pansy, "it's lighter, and has tones of blonde and caramel!"

Draco was all about done with this ridiculous conversation, until Pansy said, "And her _body_! Bloody witch reads books all day, how in Salazar's name does she have time to work out?"

Blaise finally spoke, "I'd definitely like a tall glass of Granger… she's hot and her breasts _definitely_ grew since I last saw them."

Draco saw red, "Saw them?!, _WHEN_?"

Nonchalantly, and with a smug look Blaise replied, "Even though I was never a prefect, during 5th year I "accidentally" walked into the prefects bathroom while she was taking a bath and I got a good look before she tried hexing me."

Draco was beside himself… how could Blaise fucking Zabini have seen Granger's breasts before him? He lived with her, she would walk around the common room in a bath towel, she showered with the bathroom door open!

"Besides, I notice everything," he added, "especially when it comes to _that_."

Draco had officially lost his appetite. He decided to get a head start on making his way into the meeting place for the prefects, which was situated in the Astronomy tower.

He stormed out of the Great Hall, but not before he could get a quick look at Hermione, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table whispering something to the Weaselette.

Hermione

"I figured out what I'm wearing to the ball this weekend," Hermione whispered to Ginny. Hermione had spent weeks looking for the perfect dress, and had finally found one in muggle London. She'd gone to Harrods with her mum during the summer and had done some serious shopping. For the last month she'd forgotten all the expensive designer clothes, shoes and accessories they'd bought until her mom had texted her. 'What are you wearing to the ball? Don't forget about the LBD we bought!'

It was then that Hermione remembered her gorgeous little black dress! Of course she'd wear that, it was perfect. The dress was Versace, and was made of satin with thin straps, a low neck-line, had an above-the-knee hemline, a slit on her outer left thigh and hugged her every curve! She'd wear that with a mask, as it was a _Halloween Ball_.

"AH! You _have_ to show me!," Ginny squealed, "I'll come by your dorm after your meeting and we can try on our dresses together!"

Hermione smiled and agreed, she was very excited for the ball.

As she checked the time, she realized it was time to head to the prefects meeting. Searching the Great Hall for Draco, she was unsuccessful in finding him and figured he was probably already in the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione then said bye to her friends and made her way to the Astronomy Tower.

Upon her arrival, she noticed only Draco was there, and everyone else had yet to arrive.

He was looking over the school at the edge of the tower, and he seemed to be lost in thought. She figured this place must conjure up bad memories from when he almost killed Dumbledore. She empathized with him, realizing slowly that his parents were more at fault for pushing him to become someone he clearly wasn't.

Hermione cleared her throat, as she felt somehow she was invading his privacy by just staring at him. Sometimes it was really hard not to—he was attractive, and mysterious, it was hard not to wonder and get lost in the enigma that was Draco Malfoy.

He turned slowly, seeming to know it had been her who'd disrupted his ponderation, "Granger," he smirked, "you're late."

She playfully rolled her eyes, "I'm not late, you're simply _early_ ," she added, "besides, no one else is here."

"True," he stated, "I can't wait for this meeting to be done with, I just want to sleep."

Hermione grinned, "Same here, perhaps I'll make us some tea back at the common room?"

Draco looked at her with a mock-hurt expression and replied, "As long as you keep it away from my face Granger."


	5. Take My Breath Away

**Thank you again for the reviews guys, keep 'em coming I really appreciate the feedback! This story is going in the direction I had originally planned for and I am so happy about that. This chapter has a bit of fluff, nothing crazy! and the next chapter will be the one I have been looking forward to the most so stay tuned:)**

 **Enjoy xx**

 **Chapter 5: Take My Breath Away**

Draco

"As long as you keep it away from my face Granger," he replied sarcastically.

It was getting hard for him to be rude with her, she was really growing on him. And why be mean to someone who didn't deserve it? Maybe growing up was realizing that being a prat to everyone was totally useless… 'Scary' thought Draco.

Draco's thoughts were then interrupted by the sudden influx of prefects entering the balcony of the Astronomy tower. Pansy shuffled in amongst the crowd and flashed him a smile, and he flashed her a smirk in return. Subconsciously he hoped Hermione hadn't noticed.

He knew Hermione and Pansy seriously disliked one another, and he also didn't want her knowing he was technically 'taken'. He felt very unsettled at the prospect of Hermione ignoring him because of Pansy… after all the progress they'd made.

Draco was again snapped out of his thoughts when Hermione began the meeting, "Good evening everyone," and smiled.

Draco was again taken with her smile, but then he noticed other male prefects staring at her too, which infuriated him… Why were these random guys staring at her like that? 'Ugh' he thought to himself.

"Malfoy and I do not wish to keep you all here for long, so we'll make this quick," she said.

Odd, thought Draco. Granger is the queen of dragging something on for too long. All she ever did was talk about the same thing over and over again… it was part of her charm?

Draco finally interjected, "—Basically we'll need you all to make sure no one tries to spike the punch station with any fire whiskey or other spirits, and _please_ monitor the snogging, so it is at a minimum," he smirked.

"And that goes for the corridors outside of the ball room as well, which reminds me," Hermione added, "would anyone who will not be attending the dance like to volunteer to monitor the corridors? 20 house points will be rewarded to the two volunteers!"

Two Hufflepuffs volunteered themselves, which meant 40 extra points to their house… Draco rolled his eyes at the predictability.

The meeting had then finished, and everyone had started to leave. Now was the time to ask Pansy to the dance. Draco hesitantly made his way over to Pansy, as he thought there was no one else left in the tower.

"Pansy," he said, his voice filled with dread, "can I speak to you?"

Hermione

Hermione had been relieved when the meeting ended. She couldn't stand another minute of watching Pansy Parkinson smiling at Draco, it was extremely distracting. She'd thought they'd broken up a while ago, but apparently not, as she'd caught him smirking back at her.

She'd lost her train of thought several times during the meeting, as she kept looking over at Pansy's pug-face that had retained its Draco directed smile the entire time. 'Ugh' she'd thought, obviously the one good time with Draco since their fight had to be ruined by that social-climbing snake.

As Hermione was walking down the steps under the balcony of the Astronomy stairs she stopped when she heard footsteps overhead and then a voice say, "Pansy, can I speak to you?"

Immediately she knew who the voice belonged to, and then heard Pansy reply "Yes Draco? What is it?" 'Even her "nice voice" is utterly infuriating', she thought.

"Well, with our current circumstances being what they are…" Draco began, "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to attend the Halloween ball… with me?"

Hermione didn't want to hear the rest, she knew Pansy's answer anyway. She made her way down the stairs and began walking to her dorm. She felt a slight pang of jealousy towards Pansy, maybe because it was Draco asking, but mostly because she had a date and Hermione didn't.

"Papillon," Hermione whispered to the portrait. It opened immediately and she made her way to the bathroom of hers and Draco's shared common room.

She needed a nice hot shower to erase the icky feeling she felt all over her body. It felt wrong that Draco was going with Pansy, and it also felt wrong that she'd be attending alone.

Quickly stripping, Hermione turned the shower handles and immediately felt relief as the hot water hit her body.

Draco

"I'd love to go to the Halloween Ball together," replied Pansy. She then kissed him on the cheek and made her way out of the Astronomy Tower, leaving Draco alone with feelings of regret and dread.

'Life is unfair,' thought Draco. He then made his way back to the common room he shared with Hermione.

Upon arriving, he noticed the bathroom door slightly open with a bit of steam protruding from the small crack between the door and the doorframe. ' _No way'_ he thought.

Like a man under a spell, Draco made his way closer to the door, and through the crack of the door he peered inside. Unsure if he was in a sweet dream or cruel nightmare, there she was, the most beautiful specimen he'd ever seen even with her back facing him, absolutely naked.

Draco silently thanked the gods that his vision was limited or else he wouldn't be able to contain himself. Just her bare legs and arse were arousing him, but he couldn't look away.

Hermione's school uniform did her no justice, as he felt he'd found a secret treasure hidden under her baggy clothes. Her figure was perfect, and the little things like beauty marks and back dimples made him melt even more.

He'd begun to feel guilty for essentially spying on her in her most vulnerable state, so he looked away and went to his room. Draco was still in shock at what he'd just seen, and now felt even more how unfair his life was, because now he was sure he wanted Hermione. He'd always admired her intellect and dedication to her school work, but with a brain and her gorgeous looks… she was now irresistible, and he couldn't have her.

With those sad thoughts in mind, as well as the dread he felt towards the Halloween Ball tomorrow, Draco willed himself to fall asleep, and dreamt of Hermione.

Hermione

As Hermione got out of the shower, she began her nightly skincare routine. While applying her moisturizer, she was observing herself in the mirror and noticed a change in her appearance. ' _What. The. Hell?_ ' she thought.

All of a sudden her features were much… _prettier_? Her lips were fuller, more pink. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, her skin was clearer, her cheekbones were more pronounced, her face was less round… even her _hair_ was different; lighter. Had she seriously not noticed this change?

Hermione then dropped her towel as she was curious to see if anything else had changed… and she almost screamed. Her boobs were fuller and rounder, her legs seemed more toned and then the cherry on top came when she looked over her shoulder to find that her bum was now rounder and bigger too. Was she cursed? Was this her 'Freaky Friday' moment?

Unsure about what to do, or what had happened, Hermione figured it wasn't the worst thing in the world to be prettier, and was feeling kind of… confident.

She made her way to bed, and thought to herself 'is this why people keeping staring at me so much lately?'

Draco

The next morning, Draco woke up earlier than his usual 11 o'clock Saturday morning routine, and made his way downstairs to the common room kitchen.

It was half past 8, and he figured Hermione was still asleep so he decided to have breakfast here alone.

As he ate his cereal, he heard footsteps coming from Hermione's dormitory stairs and looked up to find her in a silk nightgown with messy bed hair. 'So cute' he thought to himself.

"Good morning Malfoy," she said quietly as she made her way to the cupboard that held the kettle.

Draco nodded, as his mouth was full of cereal. She then spoke again, "What happened to tea after our meeting yesterday?"

After chewing the last bit of cereal he replied, "I got caught up with something after our meeting," Hermione looked over her shoulder and raised a brow, "and then I fell asleep as soon as I arrived in our common room—I was very tired."

Hermione looked like she was thinking about saying something, but decided to nod instead—which was odd. After a few moments of silence, she said "That's unfortunate. I was kind of looking forward to it, next time I guess," and then winked, took her coffee, and walked back up to her dorm.

'What just happened?' thought Draco. She'd been looking forward to it? Gods, he really was unlucky. Here was the one girl he'd ever actually liked, being flirty and he was stuck with Pansy.

Ruefully, Draco finished eating, got dressed and made his way to Hogsmeade to go pick up his custom designed suit for the ball.

Hermione

After asking, she'd immediately regretted it, as the last time she was inquisitive towards him, they'd ended up fighting. Surprisingly, he'd replied politely, "I got caught up with something after our meeting," '—you mean Pansy' she thought, and looked over her shoulder while unintentionally raising her brow, "and then I fell asleep as soon as I arrived in our common room—I was very tired." He seemed different, almost sad. It still annoyed her that he was going to the ball with Pansy too. Especially now, that she actually felt pretty, why had no one asked her?

Feeling confident, she blurted, "That's unfortunate, I was kind of looking forward to it, next time I guess," she then felt like winking, so she did. His face went from a blank expression to one of surprise, so she took her coffee and fled.

As she made her way up to her room, she felt jittery, but good. She was excited for the ball, as she knew her dress would be like no one else's. After all, it was from muggle London… and it was Versace. 'Hehe', she thought.

She was snapped out of her reverie when she'd heard knock on the portrait downstairs. She made her way downstairs, noticing Draco was gone. She went to open the door, and found that Ginny had been on the other side. "GIN!" Hermione exclaimed, "I totally forgot about yesterday!" They were supposed to try on their dresses together after the meeting.

"Don't worry 'Mione!" Ginny replied as she walked in, "I also forgot. I was so tired after writing my potions essay.."

"I was also tired," Hermione replied, "but you're here now! And I'm actually really excited for tonight, it's going to be great."

Ginny smiled, and proceeded to go upstairs with Hermione, both girls about to prepare for the night ahead of them.


	6. Devil in Disguise

**Finally, the first part of the ball ! Part 2 coming soon, and it's gonna be... eventful. I also wanted to clarify that in this fic, Hermione's parents have regained their memories and are back in Hampstead.**

 **Thank you so much for your reviews/comments, I absolutely love hearing feedback so please continue!**

 **Enjoy xx**

 **Chapter 6: Devil in Disguise**

Draco

Draco had apparated to Gladrags Wizardwear, where his family's personal tailor was waiting for him with his custom-made suit for the ball.

As he entered the store, he saw his tailor immediately. His name was William, and he seemed very happy to see Draco. "Draco Malfoy!" he exclaimed, "it's so wonderful to see you after all this time."

The last time Draco had seen William had been before Voldemort and his cronies made Malfoy Manor their 'lair'. William must've known about his family's allegiance to the dark lord, and yet was still so genuinely kind to them, unlike so many other people.

"It has been some time William," Draco smiled, "now, show me what you've made for tonight's occasion!"

William excitedly motioned Draco towards the more private area of the store, which held the nicer clothing items obviously for the wealthier wizards. He then proceeded to collect a garment bag with the initials "D.M" sewed onto it.

As William opened up the bag, Draco felt a quick déjà vu to moments like this spent with his father or mother. It brought him a strange sense of sadness, as he did not like his father, it was weird to feel sadness over him. Times were much simpler as a child.

Draco then laid his eyes upon his suit, which was all black, with a leather style collar, and a silky Slytherin green pocket square. It was perfect for him, and he knew he wouldn't need to try it on. "William, it's perfect," he said genuinely, "would you happen to have a mask in the shop to go with it?"

William smiled, "Of course," as he began to put the suit back inside the garment bag, "I am very pleased that you like the suit. I will bring it to the register along with the mask."

After a few minutes, their transaction had been completed, and Draco was already making his way back to the castle. He figured apparating a bit risky for the suit, so he was very cautious with it and just walked back.

His mind then began wondering about what Hermione would be wearing. Probably a silly costume she'd found in muggle London, he smirked.

Then again, even a silly costume would look good on _her_.

Hermione

She and Ginny had been preparing all morning for the ball. First, they'd waxed each other's bodies—which had been an experience all in itself. They had then took turns showering, and then spent a half hour doing Hermione's muggle sheet masks on their faces—for a "glowy" complexion. They'd also both helped paint each other's nails, with Hermione choosing a scarlet red, and Ginny going with a neutral pink tone.

Finally, they'd helped each other with their hair. Ginny had opted for a half up, half down hairdo, while curling the ends. Hermione, had decided to simply curl her hair, but with soft beachy-type waves, that made her look a lot more sensual.

Deep down, she'd hoped that Draco would take notice, regardless of Pansy. Hermione was finding it harder to dislike Draco, and had developed a small crush on him. She figured it was based on his looks, but he also wasn't a bad guy anymore.

"We should probably start doing our makeup, since it will be me doing the both of ours—I'll need extra time," said Ginny.

Hermione nodded, and told Ginny she wanted a smoky eye look, with a cat eye winged liner, and red lips. Ginny then suggested false lashes as well—she had recently discovered them in the muggle world during the summer while visiting Hermione, and was _obsessed_.

An hour had passed, and Ginny was finally done with Hermione's look. "You look spectacular 'Mione, like a goddess!" said Ginny.

Feeling herself blush, Hermione got up from her bed where they'd been doing makeup, and walked over to her mirror. She was in shock! Ginny had transformed her from pretty to stunning in a mere hour. Ginny had listened to everything she wanted, and Hermione looked amazing.

"You're an artist Gin!" she squealed, "I can't believe this is me."

Ginny smiled, "This is you, beautiful on the inside and on the outside," and hugged Hermione.

Hermione was now feeling the most confident she'd ever felt. Never in her life had she felt so beautiful, and she couldn't wait to show everyone that there was more to the bookworm they'd teased for so many years.

Most of all, she couldn't wait to see Draco's reaction to her appearance... she really wanted to surprise him.

He was probably expecting her to attend the ball wearing a silly muggle costume, she smirked.

While Ginny was busy doing her own make up, Hermione decided to get dressed, as there was an hour left before the ball started.

She put on her black satin Versace dress, that had thin straps, a sweetheart neckline, a short hemline, and a slit on her outer left thigh. As she looked in the mirror she was impressed that her curves were perfect enough to fit the mold of the dress. It gave her a perfect hourglass figure, and showed off her nicely toned legs.

She then proceeded to put on her strappy black high-heel sandals, and the muggle perfume she'd bought from Jo Malone. The scent was dark amber and ginger lily, which fit her perfectly. With a finishing touch, she grabbed her devil horns… as she was going "disguised" as Lucifer.

Ginny had finally finished with her own makeup, and she too, looked absolutely stunning. She had done a smoky look on herself as well, however had opted to use more brown/gold tones for her eyelids. She had topped off her whole look with a gorgeous set of false eyelashes, and a nude pink lip colour.

Where Hermione was dark, Ginny was light. Her dress was white, and strapless. It was very fitted near her chest, and showed a lot of cleavage, but flared out at the bottom, with the hem ending just above her knee.

She then completed her look with a halo, as well as knee high white socks and pointed white pumps.

Both girls looked like total bombshells, and with one last look in Hermione's mirror, they made their way to the common room.

Upon arriving downstairs, both girls noticed Harry dressed in a classic black tuxedo, with what appeared to be a plastic gun on his lap, sitting on the couch facing the window.

Hermione laughed to herself, the boy was going as James Bond… how muggle of him. He turned once he heard Hermione cough, and gasped.

"Ginny! Hermione! You girls look—amazing," was all he could say. He was enamoured with Ginny, and totally shocked at Hermione. Obviously, she'd gotten much prettier recently, but he would never have imagined this.

He made his way over to Ginny, and gave her a quick kiss to not make Hermione uncomfortable. "Thank you Harry," both girls replied simultaneously.

Hermione felt so excited for the ball. It was almost like the Yule Ball, but this time she _knew_ she looked good.

She was a bit disappointed that Draco was nowhere to be found, and then it struck her that he must have not left too long ago. How else had Harry gotten in to their common room? "Harry," Hermione asked, "did Dra—Malfoy let you in?"

Harry simply answered, "Yeah, and he said he was going to the ball with pug-face Parkinson—I almost felt bad for the bloke."

"He called her pug-face?" Hermione wondered, while also hoping it was true.

"No," he replied, "but he was probably thinking it too," and chuckled.

"Enough with this Malfoy talk," Ginny interjected, "don't we have a ball to attend?"

And so they made their way to the Great Hall, that had been transformed into a lavish looking ballroom. On their way there, several guys from all houses gawked at both Hermione and Ginny. Both girls relished the feeling of admiration, and were feeling even more confident.

As soon as the three of them reached the Great Hall, all eyes were on them—specifically Hermione, and she knew it. Her eyes were focused on finding Draco, but he was nowhere to be found.

"'Mione, is it okay if we go and dance?" asked Harry, who clearly wanted nothing more than some time with his beautiful girlfriend.

Hermione smiled, "Of course, you guys go and have fun, I'll catch up with you later," and she walked away from them, making her way over to greet some friends from Gryffindor she'd seen near the "punch" station—as they said in America.

Draco

Draco was about to make his way over to the dungeons when he'd heard a knock on the door to his common room. Having been ready for some time, he'd made his way down, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hermione before he left, but she was still in her room with the Weaselette.

Upon opening the door, Draco was not surprised to find Potter on the other side. He was surprised however, when the boy-who-lived was actually nice to him.

"Hello Malfoy," he'd first said, and Draco had greeted him in return, not in the mood for snarky remarks. Truthfully, he felt defeated, and wanted to avoid this entire night altogether.

"Have you seen the girls? Do they look good?" Potter inquired, evidently eager to see his girlfriend.

"No," answered Draco, "but they've been up there for hours so I think they'll be out soon," he said awkwardly.

"I see," said Harry with a look of disappointment. Clearly not knowing what else to say, he asked Draco who his date was.

Ruefully, Draco answered, "Pansy Parkinson, and she's actually waiting for me so I must be on my way."

He then grabbed his mask that had been left on the table, and made his way to the dungeons.

When he reached the dungeons, he was suffocated with a mixture of men's colognes and women's perfumes. He'd never been so grateful to share a living space with only one other person—who also happened to be a neat freak—an annoyingly gorgeous neat freak.

A few minutes had passed, and Pansy had finally made her way down from her quarters. She was wearing a skin-tight, gold coloured, one shoulder dress, adorned with sparkles all over it, that ended just under her arse. She looked very pretty, with her makeup matching the gold tones of her dress.

"I'm dressed as a galleon," Pansy said excitedly.

"You look very nice Pansy," he said casually, while trying not to cringe.

It garnered him a huge smile, which was very uncommon for Pansy—it slightly frightened him.

"Thank you Draco," she said while trying to sound sexy, and then proceeded to kiss him on the cheek. 'Ugh' he thought to himself. 'Wrong, wrong, wrong.'

Still trying to make the best out of their situation, Draco offered her his arm, and they made their way to the ball.

The Great Hall was decorated in drapes that seemed to be fabricated with a very luxurious silky material, with a black and white colour scheme. It was dimly lit, perfect for blending in with everyone else—he wasn't really in the mood to socialize.

Draco placed his simple black mask over his face, with the hope of not being recognized, despite his unique platinum blonde hair. The mask covered the top half of his face, and ended above his lips.

Before he could even ask Pansy to dance, she asked him to get some refreshments.

As he neared the station, he spotted Blaise Zabini talking to a Hufflepuff girl whose name he couldn't remember. Blaise then looked in Draco's direction, and motioned for him to go over.

As Draco neared Blaise, he cursed himself for not having a better disguise. "Drake!" exclaimed Blaise, "Phantom of the Opera?"

Not knowing what that meant, he simply said, "Sure?" and proceeded to pour drinks for himself and Pansy.

"It's a muggle film," replied Blaise, who then looked around, "where's Pansy?"

Draco also looked around, and saw that she was nowhere in sight, "Not sure, she wanted some refreshments."

Draco then noticed Blaise was alone, so he asked, "And where's your date, Zabini?"

Blaise then smiled, "Finally I decided to fly solo, it's much easier to pick up girls that way—I can easily make my way around if you know what I mean."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle, obviously Blaise would go to a ball with that kind of mindset. Once upon a time, he would have too—but things were now much more complicated for him.

"I also heard Granger is flying solo—and apparently some blokes saw her on the way here and she looked like a goddess—so here's hoping she doesn't hate all Slytherins," Blaise added while saluting Draco with his drink, and then winked.

Draco almost spilled both his and Pansy's drinks on himself—Blaise, and Granger? No way in hell. And Goddess? –Gorgeous sure, but goddess? He was officially done with this night.

About to leave, feeling absolutely defeated, he heard Blaise say, "Here she comes—wow."

He immediately felt his heart beat quicken, and unable to control his curiosity, he turned around.

She was wearing a simple black dress that hugged her in all the right places, with two red horns sitting on her bouncy, perfectly curled hair, and perfectly done makeup. She was breathtaking and he wanted nothing more than to be with her, especially now. He felt wet—wet?

He looked down and realized he'd spilt both his and Pansy's drinks on himself. 'Shit!' he thought. He quickly ran to the lavatory to use the scourgify charm on his suit, hoping it wasn't ruined.

How could he be such an idiot?


	7. Too Late To Apologize

**Hi everyone! So I'm trying really hard to upload on a weekly basis and I hope you are enjoying my story thus far!**

 **Please keep reviewing and giving me your feedback I really appreciate it :)!**

 **This is the Part 2 of the Ball chapters, so yeah!**

 **Happy reading, xx**

 **Chapter 7: Too Late To Apologize**

Hermione

As Hermione made her way to the refreshments station, she noticed someone dressed in black slip away, but didn't dwell too much on it. She then immediately noticed Blaise Zabini standing alone, and he winked at her.

Feeling herself blush, she poured herself a drink and made small talk with some of her fellow prefects. Hermione was feeling very satisfied with how everything turned out, especially with the live performers, who, upon Hermione's request had been playing muggle music all night.

Her moment of happiness was ruined, however, when an all-gold Pansy stormed over to Blaise—was she supposed to be a galleon? Hermione almost spit out her drink.

"Where the bloody hell is Draco?" she asked, "I've been waiting for my refreshment!"

Blaise smirked, "he's at the lavatory, he had a bit of a… situation to attain to."

Hermione debated going to strategically place herself outside of the lavatory so he could see her, she knew he'd be surprised—well, hoped anyway. She then thought better of it, as she still was unsure of her feelings, or more importantly _his_.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a terribly disguised Ron made his way over to her, he was smiling.

"A devil?" he chucked, "of course you are, and I suppose Gin is an angel."

Hermione smiled back, "You definitely saw her—you're not so clever Ronald."

Ron laughed, "You caught me—I didn't really know what a devil or angel was, she had to tell me," he paused, "but on a more serious note, could I have this dance?"

Hermione was surprised to say the least—he had never been one to dance, why now?

Seeming to know of her hesitance, Ron added, "I know things have been rocky lately, but I would like to chat, and just enjoy the dance, please?"

He did seem sincere, and Hermione knew it was taking a lot out of him to ask… 'Oh what the hell!' she thought to herself, 'it's not like anyone else is asking.'

She finally nodded, and offered her hand to him. Together, they made their way over to the dance floor, with Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler playing in the background, unaware that all eyes were on them.

Draco

Thankfully, the charm had worked, and his suit was as good as new. He looked at himself in the mirror, wondering how he'd gotten here. On the outside, he appeared to be the unbothered, nonchalant Slytherin boy with money, but on the inside, there was this huge—emptiness, and he wanted nothing more than to fill that void—to find something that made him happy.

He sighed, thinking about what he'd just seen, or better _who_. No matter how hard he tried to resist, she was always in his thoughts. No matter how much he used to hate her, he'd always admired her. The most underrated member of the golden trio, the brightest witch of his age, the most special girl he'd ever encountered. And tonight, she was like a swan amongst a flock of pigeons. Thinking about how he wasn't her date made something in his chest tighten.

Draco made his way back to the dance with dread. His dread increased tenfold when he saw Pansy with Blaise at the punch station. He made his way over, and noticed Hermione was nowhere in sight.

"Draco!" Pansy squealed, "there you are!" and she rushed over to him, grabbing his arm in the process.

"Hi," he said awkwardly, truly not knowing what else to say or do. Her perfume smelled like baby prostitute.

Pansy squeezed his arm and demanded they go dance, forgetting about the refreshments. Draco obliged, as he didn't really mind dancing, so long as they didn't have to talk.

Upon arriving on the dance floor, there was some type of ballad song playing he didn't recognize—Granger's song list for sure. He smirked.

His smirked quickly left his face however, when he noticed Hermione across the floor dancing with the insufferable Weasley boy. He almost choked on air—why was Weasley's hand placed so low on her back? Were they back together?

Before he could make his way over to them, Pansy grabbed his arms and placed them on her waist, and shoulder. He was repulsed by her—she was the opposite of Granger.

As they began dancing, his thoughts went back to Granger and Weasley. He looked over to see them, and what he saw made him quite happy.

Granger looked extremely upset, which was concerning. What had Weasley done now? Before he could think anything else though, she slapped him across the face. 'Merlin,' Draco thought, 'I would hate to be him right now.'

She then stormed off, and he contemplated following her, but his Pansy sized anchor kept him grounded.

Hermione

Ron kept his hand around hers as they danced, but placed his other hand on the small of her back—weird, she thought.

They continued to dance, and she was actually enjoying the moment. She hadn't thought about Ron much these days, but he really had improved on his dancing skills.

"'Mione," Ron said softly, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

Curiously, Hermione's head perked up, and she simply said, "Yes?"

He seemed unsure of himself for the first time that night, and she suddenly felt his palm begin to sweat.

"Well, you see, I feel like I've made a huge mistake…in letting you go," he began, "the truth is, I was scared of a commitment and in these past few days I realized you and I have always been committed to one another somehow."

Hermione was speechless once again. What was he trying to say? He was the one who'd wanted to stay friends…

"So I guess what I'm asking you, is if you wanted to give us another chance?"

Without much thought, Hermione nodded her head, and said "No."

Trying to find her words, she added, "I'm sorry Ron, I've just also realized we're much better as friends, and I think everything happens for a reason."

"Everything happens for a reason?" he quickly snapped, "What? You think now that because you're decent looking that you're too good for me?"

Shocked by his words, she recoiled from him simply said, "No? What are you on about Ronald? I just think—"

He interjected, "Quite frankly, I don't care what you think—you bitch!"

That was the last straw. He was being absolutely disgusting, and throwing away any last shred of hope she had for their friendship. She would never get back with him, not after their first breakup and definitely not now. He was a _huge_ turn-off.

Feeling a Spanish soap-opera energy course through her, she did what most Spanish-soap actresses would do. She slapped him clean across the face, and proceeded to make a dramatic exit.

On her way out, she noticed a masked man dancing with Pansy. He'd had platinum blonde hair, so it wasn't difficult to realize it was Draco.

Out of all the events that had just taken place, seeing him dancing with Pansy had somehow been the most painful.

Not realizing where she was going, Hermione found herself at the door of her common room. She sighed, and whispered 'Papillon' quickly to the portrait.

She quickly took off her heels, and needing to feel cozy, she went to the fireplace and started a fire.

Draco

As soon as the song ended, he dismissed himself from Pansy, as well as the dance. He'd told her he wasn't feeling well and just needed to rest.

It was difficult to get away from her but Draco eventually managed, and made his way back up to the common room, hoping to find Hermione there.

To his delight, she was sitting in front of the fireplace wrapped in a faux-fur blanket. He observed her for a few seconds, taking in her beauty with the light of the fire dancing all over her face and hair.

"Granger," he let out, "what brings you here this time of night?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly settled once she realized it was him.

"It's a long story," she sighed.

Draco then made his way over to her, realizing she'd just been sitting here listening to music playing from her 'phone' device.

"What's this tune?" he inquired.

She looked at him, and said, "Apologize," their eyes meeting, she added, "it's sung by a group called One Republic, and it was in one of my favourite tv shows growing up."

"I quite like it," he admitted, "it's very—dramatic." Why had he just said that? Oh well.

She chuckled, "Yes well, it was a very dramatic show," and then bit her lip.

He stared for a few moments at her action—she was perfect, and this moment was perfect.

He let his guard down, and asked something he'd been curious about since earlier, "I noticed your argument with Weasley tonight, what happened if I may ask?"

Hermione looked surprised at his question—and he'd immediately regretted asking it. She probably thought he was a hypocrite for always getting mad at her own inquiries, and here he was asking about her personal life.

But she answered, seemingly unbothered by his curiosity, "He asked me to get back together," she sighed, and he felt his chest tighten again, "and when I refused him, he called me a bitch!"

Draco felt a surge of anger course through him. How could Weasley call _her_ a bitch?

She added, "So I slapped him." And Draco couldn't help but genuinely laugh.

Hermione joined in on the laughter, and said, "I know, you can always count on me to hit someone!"

This was true, his ego was still healing from her hit from third year.

Quickly her laughter ceased, and she once again sighed. "I'm just disappointed with tonight. I'd had such high expectations for everything to be, well, perfect and it was anything but."

Draco, unsure of what to say, simply answered, "The night is not yet over—may I have this dance?"

'Slytherin? I should've been a bloody Gryffindor with this kind of courage,' he thought to himself.

She seemed to barely have thought about it, and quickly got up. Barefoot and still dressed, she offered him her hand to lift him up, and they began dancing.

Hermione

She was lying on the floor of the common room she shared with her fellow head, covered in an expensive blanket she found in one of their chests, and beside her was Draco Malfoy. He smelled like Bleu de Chanel, a scent she was familiar with, and she just wanted to nuzzle up against his neck and stay there forever. He had been so friendly and nice tonight, she wished he had been her date to the ball.

"The night is not yet over," he breathed, "may I have this dance?"

Instantly, she shot up and offered him her hand to dance. Quite honestly, she had wanted nothing more. 'Smooth,' she thought to herself.

'Apologize' came to an end as they began placing their hands on one another. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, and she followed by placing hers around his neck.

'Take My Breath Away,' by Berlin played next and it was the perfect song, because Hermione was no longer breathing at that moment.

They danced slowly, and none of them had spoken a word. It was too perfect a moment for words to ruin. They were wrapped up in each other. Hermione never wanted him to let go, he was more than just a crush. Was it infatuation? Or did she actually have _feelings_ for him? The thought scared her.

As the song was coming to an end, she lifted her head up to meet his face and looked into his piercing grey eyes, that glowed with passion even in the darkness.

With desire, as well as a confidence she had never known before, she kissed him softly. She was barely pressing on his perfectly smooth lips and wanted more, so she pressed hers a bit harder. He seemed shocked though, and he wasn't reciprocating her kiss.

Realizing this, Hermione slowly backed off feeling hurt. The feeling must have shown on her face too, as Draco looked like he was going to say or do something. She didn't give him the chance to, however, because she quickly ran up to her room.

She slammed her door. How could she have been so foolish? Why would Draco ever be interested in her? She was and always would be just 'Granger' to him, even though they'd been on good terms.

She plopped herself on her bed and simply stared at the ceiling, trying to regulate her breathing.

Draco

He never wanted this moment to end. Here he was, dancing with the girl of his dreams, touching her, relishing in her sweet amber-like smell, and hoping something could happen between them.

As the song came to an end, she looked up, and into his eyes. He instantly melted...obviously. Her eyes were golden brown in the light of the fireplace, and he felt as though his soul was also on fire.

All of a sudden, her lips were on his, and he could taste the fruity refreshment she must've had earlier. He was in shock! It was finally happening, and he was about to lose his sanity. Her soft kiss had now become one of urgency, but he was still so in shock he forgot to kiss her back, and before he could even do anything, she pulled away. Her face looked defeated, and hurt.

Realization then struck him… did she think he didn't want her? Oh my, he needed to say something and quick! But before he could even say or do anything, she ran up to her room and slammed her door, obviously upset.

Draco felt like such a fool. How could he hurt the one girl he wanted, when she was giving him _exactly_ what he wanted?

Without much thought, he quickly ran up her stairs and knocked on her door, hoping to explain himself…


	8. More Than A Feeling

**A short chapter, meant to resolve the cliff hanger from the last, but also to provide a small ounce of fluff:)**

 **I really appreciate your reviews, and I always love to hear more so please continue!**

 **As for the next chapter, things will be getting interesting... hihihi**

 **Enjoy, xx**

 **Chapter 8: More Than a Feeling**

Hermione

'And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever…' Hermione sang to herself, while lying in bed.

She was so confused. Why had she kissed Draco like that? Did she like him? If so, _why_!? They would clearly never be together, and had both hated each other not even two months ago… there was just something about him.

He was so intense. He was sure of himself, always. She admired that, because although everyone thought she was a stuck-up know it all, she was always scared. She constantly wanted to prove herself, prove she was a brilliant witch, despite her heritage.

They had been in such a good place, and she had just gone and ruined everything. He probably thought she was insane. 'UGH' she thought to herself, burying her face into her pillow.

She was so busy hating herself she barely heard the soft knock on her door. She shot up immediately, knowing Draco was on the other side. Was he going to hex her? Or worse, insult her…? She wasn't ready for that. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep he would just go away.

'How Gryffindor of you,' she told herself, and finally decided against pretending to sleep... her curiosity would always get the best of her. She slowly got up from her bed, and made her way to the door. She had changed at this point, wearing a flimsy silk nightgown that cut off just under her butt.

"Gran—Hermione, can we talk?" Draco quietly asked as she opened the door. He looked surprised with himself for uttering her first name. She observed him, noting that his hair looked dishevelled, and his skin was paler than usual. He also observed her, looking her up and down... it was like he saw right through her.

Expecting the absolute worst to come out of his mouth, she mustered up the last shred of courage she had tonight, and with a shaky breath she spoke, "I apologize for my actions tonight if they made you feel uncomfortable, I truly don't know what came over me," she went on, "maybe it was the fire, or the dancing, or maybe just you being so nice to me—regardless, I'm sorry and I don't want it to ruin our new friendship."

He sighed, and for the first time since she opened the door, his face revealed something: confusion. He really did not know what to say, and she knew it. 'Confusion is better than anger or disgust' she thought to herself.

Finally he spoke, "I don't want you to apologize for tonight."

Now _she_ was confused. He didn't want her to apologize? Then what did he want? Why had he come up here looking so messed up?

"The truth is, I enjoyed it, very much…kissing you, that is," and she felt herself blush.

He looked at her in the eyes, and added, "I've been trying my best to resist you, telling myself we can't or shouldn't be together, and that I could never have you. It's hard for me to feel like I 'deserve' something, especially after being aligned with… well you know who."

His face briefly looked pained as he paused, but he continued, "I still don't think we can be together, but—"

Hermione stopped him by kissing him again. She didn't care what he thought. Why couldn't they be together? She was single, he clearly wasn't dating Pansy, otherwise he wouldn't of said what he just did. There was nothing stopping them.

He kissed her back this time, with a ferocity that shook her to the core. He pulled her into him, pressing his lips hard against hers. Hermione had only kissed two guys in her life before Draco, so clearly she did not have much experience, but she knew every girl wanted to be kissed the way he was kissing her now—with everything he had.

Draco

It was so easy to talk to her, he was beginning to realize. And the way she looked at him, like he was the most interesting thing in the world, it made his heart swell. She liked him, he was now sure of it. And she had apologized for kissing him, which was the most absurd thing he'd heard in a long time. He'd had to refrain from laughing, as he didn't want to upset her further.

He wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn't. He tried to tell her he couldn't be with her because of his arrangement with Pansy, but she hadn't let him. Instead, Hermione Granger pulled him in for another intoxicating kiss, and this time he returned her kiss—tenfold.

They had made their way to her bed, and he was now over her, kissing all the exposed skin he could find—which was almost everywhere since she decided to wear some flimsy nightgown to bed. He was going crazy, knowing what was underneath her dress, tasting the sweetness of her skin, inhaling her perfume and not being able to fully let go.

He couldn't let go completely, not tonight.

As he was kissing her neck, he finally heard her moan, and he nearly lost it. He then tried to tear himself away, but she was unwilling to let him go, which was unfortunate because she was probably beginning to feel the bulge in his pants. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck' he thought. He needed to leave _now_.

"What is it?" she said breathily.

He looked at her before answering, and found that her lips were swollen, her cheeks were flushed and her hair was still intact from the dance but had more volume to it. She was perfect.

Filled with dread, he said he needed to take a shower, and go to bed because he had a lot of homework to do the following day, which instantly brought a frown to her face.

Still, she did not protest. She was a very hard worker when it came to school, so he knew she would never want to jeopardize his own studies. She kissed him one last time and whispered good night to him.

With a smile on his face, he left her room and made his way to his much needed cold shower.


	9. The Breakfast Club

**It's been a while, so I'm sorry for not updating sooner! I try to update as frequently as possible and I will post another chapter within the week!! Thank you for your reviews and encouraging words I love reading them!!**

 **This chapter is short and sweet, but also quite important... you'll see;)**

 **Enjoy xx**

 **Chapter 9: The Breakfast Club**

Hermione

After Draco had left, Hermione had experienced a nightmare filled sleep.

In her nightmare, she had been in a forest, utterly alone with the exception of an old woman wearing a black cloak. The woman was holding what appeared to be a prophecy of some sort, and was chanting in a language Hermione couldn't understand. It sounded ancient.

The woman then suddenly realized Hermione was there, observing her in silence, and she began sprinting towards her. But Hermione's feet were glued to the snowy ground underneath, and she was unable to move. Right before the old woman reached her, she woke up.

Cold and sweating, Hermione awoke with a jolt. It had felt so real, as if she really had been in that forest, and the old woman was real.

Unable to fall back asleep, Hermione checked the time to find it was six o'clock in the morning. She figured Draco was still asleep, so she descended the stairs and decided to shower... she felt sticky and had forgotten to take off her makeup from the previous night.

The water was refreshing, and so warm she could feel it in her then shivering bones.

She lathered, rinsed and repeated until she noticed something near her collar bone—was that a hickey?

She could kill Draco! That prat, how could he be so irresponsible? What if someone saw? 'We were in the throws of passion' she defended him to herself.

He would be hearing about this, she told herself as she quickly dried off and got dressed. It was Sunday, so she wore a simple grey hoodie and matching grey sweatpants paired with fluffy black slippers.

She braided her hair as well, and finally went into the kitchen to cook up some breakfast for her and maybe Draco. While she prepared the pancake batter, she sipped on her coffee still thinking about her dream. There was something very off-putting about it. But what could she do about a dream?

Draco

He awoke to the smell of bacon and something he could quite pin-point. It smelled delicious and he heard his stomach grumble in response. Had she made breakfast?

Too curious to wait, Draco made his way down to the common room kitchen area to find Hermione dressed in what looked like the coziest outfit he had ever seen. She was so naturally pretty that his stomach tightened at the sight of her.

Her back was turned to him, oblivious to the fact that he was there. He took this opportunity to observe her backside... which had filled out exceptionally well and was perfectly round and so cute.

"Good morning," he breathed, tearing his eyes away from her.

She jumped, obviously startled at his words and whirled to find him simply standing in front of her in his briefs and a thin white shirt.

He only realized then how much of him was exposed, and he immediately felt good about his involuntary action of going to breakfast half naked because of her reaction. She had looked him up and down, eyes hungry and had licked her lips. He thought she probably hadn't even meant to do that, and he smirked at her.

"Good morning," she finally let out, "breakfast?"

He smiled at her, genuinely smiled and sat down.

"What did you make?" he politely asked.

She smiled back at him, and he sucked in a breath. How could she have such an effect on him? Last night had been one of the best nights he'd had in a while, and he'd dreamt solely of her. Holding her, kissing her, making love to her. Her smell filled his nostrils and he just wanted to be enveloped by it.

"Pancakes, bacon and eggs," she said, "how do you take your eggs?"

He usually had eggs hard-boiled back at the manor, and would crack them with a spoon atop a silver cup, but he wanted to trying something new.

"Summer side," he said, attempting to sound like he knew what he was talking about.

She chuckled, "Sunny side up?"

He nodded, feeling the tinge of pink forming on his cheeks, but not feeling embarrassed. Not with her, not when she gave him a grin of amusement without any condescension and simply made the eggs for him.

Several moments later she served him a big plate filled with food along with a "latte".

Together they ate breakfast, and talked about nothing significant. It was nice, and Draco decided that he wanted to do it more often.

Suddenly, he saw Hermione lowering the collar of her hoodie... and his mind went blank.

What was she doing? But his question was answered when he spotted the love bite he had given her the night before. 'Oops' he thought to himself.

She gave him a look of annoyance before she said, "What is this meaning of this?"

He gave her a wolfish grin while carefully planning his next words.

"I didn't intend on giving you that but I suppose people thinking you're with someone is good for me... unless you're not..." and he struggled to spit out the last part but, "interested."

The look on her face was priceless. He knew he'd shocked her, and hoped it was in the best way possible.

Slowly, she grinned back, almost smirking and replied ever so nonchalantly, "Well, Draco," the sound of his name on her lips almost making him jump her there and then, "what about Pansy?" the name like acid on her tongue.

He sighed. How could he have forgotten about Pansy? The bloody bane of his existence.


	10. Knockin' On Heaven's Door

**As promised! I will try to update again soon, and I hope you enjoy this chapter... finally some honesty;)**

 **Please continue reviewing, and giving me feedback. I am still learning and always appreciate comments or critiques.**

 **Enjoy, xx**

 **Chapter 10: Knockin' On Heaven's Door**

Hermione

She was feeling good. No, _great_. He had feelings for her, and had expressed them. But she needed to know for sure. She couldn't be wasting her time.

She decided to test him. After he'd tried to know if Hermione wanted to be 'his', she'd said, "Well, Draco," adding emphasis on the name she had never dared utter aloud before, "what about Pansy?"

And the look on his face did not garner her the response she'd wanted. In that moment, all the energy in the room had shifted, and his face became unreadable.

He did not break her gaze when he'd said quietly, "It's—complicated with Pansy," and he sucked in a breath... appearing—nervous which was very unlike him.

Draco continued, "she and I have a lot of history," sighing, he added, "and I just don't quite know where she and I stand."

Hermione felt something tighten in the pit of her stomach, and thought maybe it was all the food she'd eaten ready to resurface at her sudden nausea. How could he be unsure of where he stood with Pansy? After the night they'd had just had together she'd been so sure of her feelings for him. The connection they'd had… Hermione had never felt that way with, or for anyone else before.

Not wanting to show too much emotion, she steadied herself and said simply, "I understand."

As she got up, she murmured a spell to clean up the kitchen, and watched as Draco too, stood up from his chair.

"Granger," he began, "my confusing situation with Pansy doesn't mean I don't care for you," he grabbed her arm, as if on instinct and added, "I do care for you, and would like for us to become something _more_."

She recoiled at his touch, his words, feeling even worse. "How?" she breathed, "How could you want something with me, and still have something with _her_?" She realized now, how jealous she was. She could never _share_ him, and why _should_ she? Most people just wanted a healthy, normal relationship. Hermione was cursed in that regard, it seemed.

"You don't understand," he said, seeming even more nervous than before, "there's just so much you don't understand."

Draco

Hermione stared at him with a face of horror and something like betrayal at his words. How could he tell her about his and Pansy's arrangement? She would never understand, he barely did.

And before he could stop himself he said, "You don't understand, there's just so much you don't understand," realizing that Hermione would take that as condescension. And did she ever.

She did not even let him correct himself, as she glared at him and spoke, "I would—could try to understand if you explained yourself to me," her voice cracking as she added, "but I see now that no matter what I do I'll never be enough."

He noticed her eyes beginning to water, and still she held his gaze as he felt a pang of guilt course through him. He realized how much those last few words had hurt her. Hermione Granger, the know-it-all, the brightest with of their age, the brains. He'd insulted her brains when he'd said she could never understand, and that was her favourite thing about herself, where most of her confidence stemmed from.

"That's not what I meant," he breathed, trying not to say anything that would cause more damage or completely ruin his chances with her, "What I really meant was that it's far more complicated than it seems with Pansy, and with the life you lead, the life of freedom and love and happiness, I just didn't think you would totally understand my situation with her because you have not experienced it."

Hermione

Realization struck her then. Draco and Pansy were both purebloods, with _very_ old, prestigious families, and he had a "situation" with her that Hermione had not experienced… 'Oh my god' she thought to herself.

"Are you two… betrothed or something?" she asked, without thinking and for the first time, she'd wanted to be wrong.

Draco's eyes widened, and she knew, without him uttering one word that she'd been right.

"How did you—" he began, before she interjected.

"I just…understand things," she quipped.

Draco finally sighed, "Well, it's true. Our families made an arrangement a few weeks ago for Pansy and I to wed. I didn't think you'd understand, because I know you would never agree to something so—backwards."

She chuckled, "You're right, I would never, and I kind of see why you didn't tell me. But why would _you_ agree if you think it's backwards? Do you have feelings for her?" They had been together in the past, so perhaps it was easy for him to agree to wed her.

He sat down then, and fixed his gaze on his now crossed hands. "Sure we dated in the past, but it was never anything serious. Pansy is the type of girl who will give all her attention to whoever is willing to give it back. I agreed to the arrangement simply because I wanted to make my mother happy, not because of anything else. I could never love Pansy," he admitted to her, but it seemed to himself as well.

She too, now stared at his crossed hands, scanning his fingers and finding scars, as well as callouses beneath his fingertips. They were difficult to notice against his alabaster skin, but they were there. She wanted to kiss them. He looked up, as if knowing she'd been staring and she quickly met his gaze.

"You're willing to sacrifice your own free will and happiness for the sake of your mother's?" she asked quietly.

She'd been so wrong about him. For so many years she'd thought of him as a selfish, spoiled brat who had never known how to respect others, never known sacrifice or pain as she and her friends had. But he'd been forced into becoming a death eater by his father and was now being pressured, if not forced to marry Pansy by his mother. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so angry and sad for someone else.

"Yes," he'd said quickly, without hesitation and added, "my mother has been through so much, and losing my father was too much for her. It changed her. At the time I received the letter announcing the arrangement, I was willing to do anything to make my mother happy again."

Heart aching for him, she simply asked, "and now?"

He did not break her stare when he said, "and now, I want nothing more than to be with you, _Hermione_."

She sucked in a breath, hoping, nearly praying for that exact response. "Just me?" she asked again.

He snorted, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Isn't what obvious?" she quickly countered.

He stood up then, inching towards her. "Isn't it obvious," he said, voice husky, now inches from her face, "how badly I want you?"

His words echoed in her mind, her heart racing as she looked up to him and found his silver eyes looking at her open mouth. He _wanted_ her, and now, she knew it for certain not because of his words, but because of the predatory gaze that had fallen over his face.

Without hesitation, she kissed him. Softly at first, but it quickly shifted into a hard and deep kiss, much like the previous night. Instantly, his hands were all over her, touching her and without her noticing, he'd lifted her onto the now empty table and was between her legs.

Draco then began kissing her neck, and she moaned at the feeling of his tongue on her skin. She was burning from his touch, wanting more.

"More?" he said breathlessly, while smirking as he momentarily broke away from her. 'Shit' she thought to herself, 'did I say that out loud?'

She gave him a smirk, feeling her cheeks warm at what she'd involuntarily said aloud, but added, "I want you too Draco, _badly_."

Draco

"More," she'd whispered into his ear while he sucked on her neck.

He felt himself beginning to harden, and to distract himself he replied, "More?"

Her cheeks pinked, but she smirked, "I want you too Draco, _badly_."

He instantly hardened at her confession, and lifted her hoodie off in one quick motion. He froze, as he discovered there was absolutely nothing underneath. Nothing, but her perfect breasts, and creamy skin.

He palmed one of her breasts, and smoothed his thumb over her nipple, while taking the other into his mouth, licking and sucking it. Gooseflesh appeared all over her body. Hermione moaned again, this time nearly undoing him. Her taste, her smell, and the sounds she was making filled his senses until he could no longer think. No girl had ever had this effect on him, it was like she was _made_ for him.

He too, wanted _more_. He wanted everything, he realized. He never wanted to let her go. He would _do_ anything for her, _say_ anything as he had tonight—with ease. He had originally dreaded telling her the truth about him and Pansy, but she had understood and he had adored her for it.

He began kissing her all over. From her eyelids, to her cheeks, her lips, making his way down from her neck, to her breasts and began moving even lower until he reached her navel.

He looked at her then, as if to ask her permission. She met his gaze, nodding and arched her back. He grinned, and swiftly removed her pants. He looked up again, raising his brow at her, as she was also not wearing underwear.

She innocently asked, knowing what his look was for, "What? I hardly ever wear undergarments when I'm here."

He barely processed her answer, as he beheld the sight in front of him. Hermione Granger, in all her naked glory, laid upon the kitchen table like a feast. And he would devour every inch of this feast, he thought to himself.

As quickly as he'd looked up at her, he resumed his kisses going all the way down both legs, and then began kissing between her thighs. She began shaking, and he smelled her arousal now.

He hardened even more, if that was possible. And she'd noticed, her opened mouth beginning to water.

Finally, he'd laid a kiss on her centre, and she'd moaned loudly. He spread her legs, and licked her slick folds, not being able to resist after the first taste. She was like a drug.

He continued, and entered a finger into her womanhood, feeling her, so tight around him. He knew she was close, as he licked and pumped rhythmically, hearing her moan and pull at his hair. "Draco," she breathed, arching her back.

And right before he could finish pleasuring her, there was a knock at the door.


	11. A Whole Lotta History

**Hi everyone! So I've been trying to upload as frequently as possible, and I hope you are enjoying thus far. This chapter is very eventful, and we finally get some more clues concerning Hermione's _predicament_. ****I will try to upload the next chapter as soon as possible, until then please continue to review and comment, I appreciate it so much!**

 **Enjoy xx**

 **Chapter 11: A Whole Lotta History**

Hermione

There had been many instances in Hermione Granger's life that had infuriated her, like the people who still called her a mud blood behind her back, or not getting the proper recognition she deserved in certain classes and people who had no appreciation for books, for example. Today, none of these things had infuriated her. No, something else had. Something else entirely.

Only a few moments before had she been on the verge of climaxing due to her—activities with a certain head boy, until a knock at their door had interrupted them. They'd been in the kitchen when they'd heard it, a mere metres away from that main door, and if they'd decided to ignore it, whoever was behind it could have very well heard the light moans Hermione had been making earlier.

Quickly, Hermione had dressed herself, to Draco's very obvious disappointment. If she was furious, he was murderous, but only his eyes showed it. With a calm only Draco Malfoy could muster in such a circumstance, he made his way over to the door, Hermione remaining at the table as to not seem weird.

On the other side of the door, was the last person Hermione had wanted to see. Pug face and all, Pansy Parkinson smiled at Draco, giving him a quick hug before waltzing right into the common room like it was her own.

Hermione was seething. Obviously her and Draco's most intimate moment to date had been ruined by Pansy. Draco took note of Hermione's obvious death stare, and mouthed to her 'calm down.'

Calm down? How could she? This—this _bitch_ , who had taunted and bullied her for years was now going to be engaged to the guy she… liked _and_ had just stopped her from getting an orgasm! How could she just ' _calm down'_?

"Granger," Pansy spat disapprovingly, "I'd like a glass of water."

Hermione snapped, "Get some then?" trying with all her power not to hex the entitled twat. 'I'd like a glass of water'—who did she think she was? She was in the _heads_ ' common room!

Draco added, "Hermi—Granger," correcting himself, obviously as to not raise any suspicions, "is not your servant Pans."

Pansy huffed, "Never mind," and added in a low voice, clearly meaning for both Draco and Hermione to hear, "I'll wait for you in your dormitory _, Drake_."

As she made her way up, and was out of sight, Hermione's heart was hammering in her chest. Why hadn't he protested? What the hell was going on? She raised her brow at him in an accusatory fashion.

He sighed, "I am so sorry for that," then rubbing at his temples, "she's a lot."

"A lot," Hermione fumed, "she treated me like dirt and you just stood there…" she looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorr—" he began, but she interjected.

"I'm going on a walk. Talk later," and exited from the common room before he could stop her.

Draco

Shit, shit & shit. He was in _shit_. Hermione had just left the common room, and he knew she was upset. He was also upset, that he had finally made so much progress with Hermione, and Pansy had come in and destroyed it within 30 seconds of being around them. But he was not hurt, and Draco knew Hermione was. Pansy had fully treated her like some slave, and he had just stood idly by letting her. He'd had to though, for appearances.

He didn't want to keep his mouth shut, in fact he'd wanted to hex her. But he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. Draco couldn't let Pansy be suspicious of them. He was still bound to her by contract and he could not allow the consequences of a breach of contract to harm him or his mother. He'd needed to be smart about things, especially since he still wasn't exactly sure where Hermione stood with him, and that's also why he did not chase after her. Although, moments before Pansy's arrival, both Draco and Hermione had been pretty…invested into one another.

'Ugh,' he thought to himself, while he made his way up to meet Pansy, 'so close yet so far.'

He stared at his wooden door, hesitantly opening it and finding Pansy perched on his bed, already waiting for him. She was horrible, he thought. The epitome of pureblood royalty, and yet her whole soul was rotten and disgusting. She was mean, condescending and—shallow.

"Took you long enough," she purred, trying her best to sound seductive… he vomited a little in his mouth. "I hope it wasn't that filthy mudbloo—" she began to add, but he interjected.

"Do not use that word here," he seethed, "after everything we've all been through, none of that matters anymore."

She gave him a very distasteful look before saying, "Of course it matters Draco, it always has," then worry washed over her face, as she whispered, "do you have— _feelings_ for her?"

He thought about telling her the truth in that moment. He felt like saying yes and to hell with the backwards pureblood traditions. He wanted to leave this room and find Hermione. Apologize to her, _hold_ her, _smell_ her and continue where they'd left off. But he couldn't, he'd needed to think things through, so he replied, "No, I just have respect for her now that we live together and so should you."

Pansy sighed, while rolling her eyes. Draco knew they weren't right for each other, but he would still _try_ to tolerate her, at least for his mothers' sake.

"Whatever," she drawled, seeming bored with their conversation at last, "I didn't come all the way up here from the dungeons to talk about Granger."

Draco, trying to seem interested simply raised a brow before saying, "Okay, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

She just stared at him then, seeming hesitant. She was very easy to read, unlike him. Worry mixed with insecurity washed over her face and even her body language had gone from a confident and 'seductive' type demeanour, to a hunched over, scared girl.

He almost felt sorry for her—almost, had she not uttered the next few words.

"I know our engagement was arranged by our families," she breathed with a shaky voice, which confirmed his suspicions of her nervousness, "but I can't help but wonder if we should try to actually make things work between us," she smiled then, "we had something once, even though it wasn't serious."

"Pansy I—" he started, but she stopped him.

She got up from the bed now, confidence having returned in spades.

The girl was now a mere foot away from him, and boldly touched both his arms. He shuddered, not in appreciation, but repulsion.

"I want to try to _at least_ bring back that…intimacy we once had, if we're to be wed Draco," she finally added, and before he realized what she was about to do, she kissed him.

He was frozen. Pansy had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, hands ruffling his hair and was pushing her tongue into his mouth. Draco didn't know what to do…she tasted—wrong. She felt wrong. It was all wrong. He had been with her before, but now he felt terribly nauseous, and pulled back, breathless from the shock, and disgusted.

Pansy had kissed him while the intoxicating taste of Hermione still lingered on his lips. He knew what the nausea was; guilt. Even though Pansy had kissed _him_ against his will, he hadn't stopped her for that brief moment. It had felt wrong physically, like kissing Pansy was some sort of curse. It was more than his feelings for Hermione, like as if though his body could not do it.

"What was that Pans?!" he barked at her.

Her cheeks turned red at that. She was embarrassed at his rejection—good, he thought.

"I'm just trying to improve our situation!" she cried, "I want to be happy in our marriage Draco! May I remind you that it is in less than a year!"

She stormed off after that, seeing as Draco was no longer willing to answer her. He was doing everything to keep calm, and to not lose it on her. He had felt…violated somehow. Kissing her had been the last thing he'd wanted.

After she left, her words replayed in his head. 'It's in less than a year.'

After careful consideration, he decided that he would not marry her—could not. He would have under a year to end this arrangement with Pansy, the _right_ way. But first, he needed to tell Hermione. 'Where is she?' he wondered.

Hermione

The early November rain coating her skin was a stark contrast to the incessant heat that had engulfed her back in the common room. She had felt heat all over her body, from Draco's touches that had lit her on fire, and from Pansy's ignorance that had caused her to burn with rage.

She stood in the courtyard, alone and drenched by the downpour, yet feeling better. There was nothing but the sound of her own breathing against the rain, and the images of her own thoughts. Hermione couldn't begin to comprehend what had just happened. She knew Pansy showing up had not been Draco's fault, but he had just watched in silence as Pansy had disrespected and condescended to her… and had not objected to her going to his dorm.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of Pansy in his room. _Smelling_ him. _Touching_ him. She shook, in jealousy—or was it the cold?

It would never be easy to accept Pansy, Hermione had always disliked her, and her attitude hadn't changed after the war, which only furthered her negative feelings towards the girl. Draco could not make a decision? Fine, Hermione would have to make it for him. She would stay away.

'Easier said than done' she chided herself, before hearing a thunderous roar come from the sky and jumping in response.

Quickly, she ran back inside the castle, despite wanting some more fresh air.

"Miss Granger!" a voice said in the darkness.

"Wh—Who's there?" she replied nervously, as the fear she'd possessed during the war had not truly disappeared. She'd always need to be cautious.

Hearing no reply, Hermione took out her wand and uttered a barely audible, "Lumos."

Under the faint light radiating from her wand, her eyes wandered until they found the source of the earlier voice.

With a sigh of relief, Hermione stared into a pair of wide blue eyes that had seemed enlarged by the lenses of bifocals.

"Professor Trelawney!" she breathed, "you startled me."

"Oh dear girl, I apologize! But please come with me!" she ordered, in a tone that had not been rude but rather worried.

Hermione simply followed, knowing it could not take long and still wanting to avoid her dorm for as long as possible.

They arrived to the divination room only moments later, seating themselves at one of the tables that bore nothing atop it.

"Professor, what is it?" Hermione finally asked, now curious as to why she'd been brought here in such a manner.

"Miss Granger, you are in danger!" Hermione all but rolled her eyes… she'd always hated divination.

"You've said this before—" she began, but Trelawney interrupted, fear evident on her face, as well as in her eyes.

"I had a dream last night," she began, and Hermione froze, listening on, "you were in a dark forest, it was night and there was an old woman," Hermione began trembling, "she was speaking an old language, perhaps Gaelic," she continued, whispering, "and she was going to attack you."

Hermione felt her heart racing, as Trelawney described the same dream Hermione had had the night before. How could this be? The dream actually _meant_ something?

When Trelawney finished, she looked at Hermione and realized, "you had the same dream last night, didn't you?"

Speechless, Hermione simply nodded, confused and scared as to what this meant.

Trelawney then added after a few minutes, "You look different Miss Granger," raising a brow, "is this a recent change in your appearance?"

"Yes, I suppose," Hermione breathed, "it's hard to tell when it's _you,_ you know?"

Trelawney asked again, "How much has changed in you?," this time, she was analyzing, clearly knowing more than she was letting on.

"Everything," Hermione absentmindedly replied. Never having truly admitted this to herself, she added, "my physical features, my smell, my…attitude," and her voice cracked.

Trelawney paled, "Merlin's beard," she murmured to no one in particular, "this is _not_ good."

Hermione's heartbeat began racing once again. What the hell was going on?

"What is ' _not good'_ professor?," she pointedly asked.

Trelawney's features calmed then, and she looked directly into Hermione's eyes. "You," she breathed, "your _state_ , is not good," she paused, but before Hermione could interrupt, she finally added, "you are… kind of… cursed, and you are in danger."


	12. She Will Be Loved

**SO here it is! This is what happened to Hermione, and there's more to find out! The chapter is shorter, but the last one was a cliffie, so here's the explanation! There is much yet to come... hihi**

 **Please review! xx**

 **Chapter 12: She Will Be Loved**

Hermione

"Kind of cursed?" she repeated, now staring in disbelief at the divination professor.

Trelawney slowly nodded, taking in a deep breath and exhaling after a few moments.

She began, "Miss Granger, have you… how can I say this?" she breathed once more, "have you been sexually active recently?"

Hermione paled. What the hell? If she was confused before, she was beyond lost now. Why in Merlin's name was the old bat asking about her sex life? How could it possibly be of importance if she was cursed? She hesitated, for obvious reasons, but ultimately replied.

"Define, sexually active…" and met Trelawney's worried gaze.

"Have you had sex recently, or since your 'change'?" she prompted, now becoming more direct.

Hermione sucked in a breath, "No," and after a few seconds she added, "please tell me why this is of importance though."

Trelawney didn't reply though. Instead, she seemed lost in thought, as if she was planning her next response. Hermione was truly dying to know what all of this meant. One minute, she was upset about Draco and Pansy, and the next she was alone with Trelawney on an early Sunday evening discussing the fact that she was cursed.

"You cannot have sex," she declared, "and I believe you should not perform in any other sexual activities for the time being, it is too dangerous—"

" _What_ is too dangerous?," Hermione cried, " _please_ , please tell me!"

"You!" yelled Trelawney, which had surprised Hermione, as the woman never used that sort of tone with anyone. She hadn't even used that tone with Umbridge back in fifth year. "Miss Granger, you are in the process of an ancient curse, that binds two souls together… forever."

Hermione didn't understand. A binding curse? "I'm a… Veela?" she replied breathlessly.

"No," Trelawney said, "not a Veela… it is called a Sodalis. It is different, as Veelas are genetically predisposed to becoming what they are. You have been cursed by an external party," she sighed, "by who, it is not clear, nor the reason 'why', however the blood of a witch who has been bonded to her Sodalis is very valuable, especially in the wrong hands."

Trelawney furrowed her brows clearly frustrated, and Hermione was speechless. She had never heard of such a curse before, and felt the need to run to the library to find out.

"What is a… Sodalis curse? Please explain it to me," she then asked Trelawney.

The woman looked again at Hermione, and finally said, "It is a very ancient curse, brought upon by ancient gods when the human population had been declining centuries ago. With a Sodalis curse, an individual is destined to find what we'd now call a "soul mate" and once bound, the two Sodalis would stay together until one of them died. Most would die along with their mate, either from a broken heart or the taking of their own life," a look of sorrow now took over her face, as she added, "finding your partner will be difficult, as only a few signs may attract you to them, and it is dangerous for you to engage in sexual activities with another, because your other half will suffer."

Hermione, horrified, managed to ask, "How do you become connected to your 'Sodalis'?"

Trelawney simply said, "Sex, but I should advise you that once you are paired, your blood would become extremely valuable due to the power and properties it will possess, and that poses a great danger to you, which I suspect had to do with the dream."

Hermione, feeling completely awful, finally decided to take her leave. She simply nodded to the now quiet professor, and agreed to share any information should anything arise. They also agreed to keep this a secret between them for the time being.

It was half-past seven when Hermione checked her watch and she decided to go back to her common room to shower, and then go to the library to read up on this "Sodalis curse".

Upon arriving, she noticed the common room area had been empty, and utterly quiet. She thought of Draco then, and realized they could no longer be together. She knew they'd had a real connection, but what if he was not her Sodalis? She could not risk hurting her future "soul mate", not even for Draco Malfoy.

Her heart sank at the thought of them being unable to be together, but she tried to tell herself that it was probably for the best. They had been moving rather quickly after all… nevertheless, she couldn't deny the spark they had, and would not completely rule out the possibility of them being "soul mates." The thought of another guy being with her made her stomach twist, but she knew she couldn't tell him everything... not yet. Besides, he still needed to figure everything out with Pansy.

So many thoughts coursed through Hermione's brain as she showered, changed and left for the library. Who had cursed her? And more importantly, why? She couldn't think of anyone who still harboured any maliciousness towards her, as all the Death Eaters were gone.

Draco

Draco had just finished studying when he'd heard a noise down in the common room.

Knowing it was Hermione, he wanted nothing more than to go downstairs to tell her everything, but he decided that he should first write to his mother.

He stayed seated at his neatly arranged desk, and searched his drawers for parchment along with his ink and quill.

He looked down at the empty parchment, the weight of his words ringing in his head. Draco knew how disappointed Narcissa would be. Her only son, only _child_ defying the one thing she had asked of him.

It would be hard for him to disappoint her. He had been raised to wholeheartedly obey his parents, and to remain loyal to their traditions. He had tried desperately as a child to engrain their ideals into his mind, but they could never stick. He had not wanted to be a death eater, he had not wanted to hate muggle-borns, nor had he wanted to be forced to watch as so many were harmed or killed in his _home_. It would be hard for Draco to disappoint Narcissa, but it would be harder for him to marry Pansy and remain unhappy for the rest of his life.

'Dear mother, I am writing to you to inform you of my withdrawal in the Parkinson engagement agreement. Until now, I have done everything you have asked of me, but I can no longer bring myself to pretend to like Pansy. I cannot marry her, nor any other girl like her. I know how much a marriage between myself and a member within the Sacred 28 means to you, but I have fallen for a girl who is not a part of our circle. I implore you to understand my feelings, and I apologize if I have caused you any pain or disappointment.'

His eyes stung, and he realized he was crying, as droplets fell onto the parchment, smudging some ink in the process.

'Love, Draco,' he added at the bottom.


	13. Lost

**Please review! xx**

Chapter 13: Lost

Hermione

She had scoured the library for hours that night in hopes of finding any information regarding her… 'curse,' and was left feeling disappointed. Hermione had only found a few books in the entire library (including the restricted section) containing knowledge of the Sodalis curse.

From what she'd gathered, her recent transformation in terms of appearance had been triggered by the curse, as a way to attract her partner.

It was almost embarrassing to think that she'd changed so much only to attract another person, it was so… objectifying, she'd thought to herself.

Even her smell had changed, unbeknownst to her until having read about it, and was made to attract her Sodalis.

Hermione had also discovered that what Trelawney had said was true, and should she engage in sexual activities with another, her Sodalis would feel tremendous amounts of pain.

She had also uncovered more information about the history of the curse. The ancient language in her dream had not been Gaelic as Trelawney had suspected, but Latin. The curse had originated around the time of the Black Plague, when a third of the European population of muggles, as well as wizards had been wiped out. The curse was irrevocable, which meant she was stuck with it for the rest of her life. It had also not been the Gods who'd cursed people with the Sodalis curse. The Sodalis curse had been created by one of, if not _the_ most skilled charmer ever known. The Prince of Enchanters. _Merlin_.

Merlin, arguably the most famous wizard of all time, and the most willingly forgotten Slytherin had created the Sodalis curse as a way to help with the reproduction of wizards. The Sodalis curse was a product of darker magic of course, but evidently during the darkest of times even the great Merlin must've felt like there was no other way.

After having left the library, she made her way back to her dormitory, trying her best to avoid Draco. She couldn't face him yet, and she silently cursed whoever had cursed her for taking away a monumental decision from her. She could no longer choose who to love. Who to be with. She would never be able to just 'hook up' with someone, experience a one night stand or anything wild like that. It wasn't like she could see herself doing it, but now she just wasn't allowed, or an innocent person would suffer.

What if her Sodalis was a complete stranger? 'They probably are,' she chided herself. 'They,' the words rang in her head. Her Sodalis could be a man or a woman… 'No,' she reminded herself again… it was a man, because the curse was meant for reproduction.

What if he was a bad person? Or worse, a dumb person? She shuddered at the thought.

That night, she tossed and turned in her bed until she could stay awake no longer. Hermione eventually took a sleeping draught, to maybe help her sleep for what little time she could, and dreamt of that old woman once again.

Draco

He had waited until 2 a.m. for Hermione to return to their common room, but he'd waited in vain. He hadn't heard her leave while he'd written the letter to his mother, but apparently she'd had enough time to shower (which he had heard), and then leave quietly. He had spent the night wondering where she'd been, or if she'd been _with_ someone…

Eventually, he'd given up and had decided to speak with her the following morning. After he'd sent his letter out, Draco had immediately felt an invisible weight lift off of his shoulders, and had slept very well that same night. He'd dreamt of the Gryffindor princess' legs wrapped around him once more, and awoke to tented pyjama pants.

After a brutally cold shower, he'd made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, and noticed Hermione was nowhere in sight. Of course, Draco knew it was strange of her to be late for breakfast, but maybe she'd gone to bed late last night and needed more sleep?

He had sat with Blaise and Theodore Nott that morning, discussing the events of the ball.

"I snogged that Hufflepuff girl in the end," Blaise had announced casually, "but I _really_ wanted to snog Weasley's sister."

"She's dating Potter," Theo had said rather dryly, "and would never trade him for _you_ , wanker."

Blaise, in a fake-offended tone cried, "Who's side are you on mate?!"

The two then continued throwing remarks back and forth about Blaise's ability to "get with" the Weaselette, but Draco couldn't care less in that moment, because Hermione had finally walked into the hall.

Suddenly, many people stopped talking and simply stared at her.

As she made her way to the Gryffindor table she'd looked up and found Draco's eyes. Her face was unreadable before she gave him a once over and turned her attention to her Gryffindor friends. He'd tried to get her attention once more, which he'd hoped had not been noticed by his Slytherin peers, but he knew something was off when she continued to ignore him. Was she still upset about the Pansy encounter yesterday?

His suspicion was confirmed when her eyes wandered to where Pansy was sitting and shot her the dirtiest look he'd ever seen. If Draco had been in Pansy's position, he would have seriously considered changing schools… perhaps Beauxbatons? Pansy tried giving her a similar look, but failed miserably. She knew she could never get on Hermione's level, despite her beliefs in pureblood supremacy.

Draco knew he'd have to speak with Pansy, otherwise her parents would tell her and he would look like a coward. And coward he was not… or could no longer be.

"Excuse me lads," Draco began as he got up from the bench, "I need to settle something with Parkinson."

Theo and Blaise simply nodded, but paid his words no mind as they continued in their bickering.

Draco somewhat envied them. He knew Theo had understood him more than Blaise ever could, but the two boys had not let the war affect them in the way it had affected Draco. Probably because Draco had been a Death Eater which automatically made things worse, but still, he wished so much he could just move on in the same way they had.

While Draco made his way over to Pansy, he tried to think of ways to get his point across without upsetting her, but he knew her too well. She was dramatic, but he also knew she'd eventually forgive him… or hoped anyway. Pansy was one of his oldest friends, and although she possessed many questionable qualities, she was a good friend to the people she cared for. He didn't want to lose that.

As he approached her seating area, Draco noticed that she'd been talking to Astoria and Daphne about him. He'd heard his name, and figured she was telling them about yesterday.

Of course she was! Pansy had always been a relentless gossip.

He tapped her shoulder, and she spun her head immediately. It was a classic Slytherin reflex, but he smirked anyway.

"Pans," he'd murmured politely, "can I speak with you for a moment?"

Her eyes widened, clearly not expecting such behaviour after yesterday's events.

"Dr-Draco, hi, of course you can," Pansy stammered, turning her head back around, "I'll talk to you girls later."

And with that, Pansy followed Draco out of the Great Hall without hesitation.

They were in the corridor just outside of the hall, and no one was near. Draco was nervous, but he couldn't—wouldn't let it show.

Before he could even say anything, Pansy began.

"If this is about yesterday, I'm sorr—,"

"It's not about yesterday Pans," Draco interjected, "but it is important."

"Okay?" she prompted, "then what is this about?"

She now appeared nervous, as well as confused. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.

Draco knew that the arrangement hadn't been something she'd "wanted" per say, but she definitely had not been as torn up about it as he had. Pansy had liked Draco for a very long time, and had always expressed her feelings to him, so he knew he'd have to be very careful with his words.

"It's about us," he began, "well, our engagement to be precise."

He paused, and took her hand as a gesture of sincerity.

"I cannot marry you Pans," he admitted, "I'm not ready, and I cannot allow our parents to force us both into something so…medieval ."

Pansy squeezed his hand, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She seemed… relieved, which was odd, but still said nothing.

"I owled my mother last night, informing her of my decision," he continued, "and I told her I was in love with someone else."

Realization then spread over her face, as she removed her hand from his grip and wiped her tear away. Straightening herself up, she simply asked, "Granger?"

He couldn't lie to her, not now, so he nodded his agreement.

"Draco," she sighed, "your parents will never let you marry her."

"Well, we'll have to change their minds if the occasion ever arises," he quipped.

She gave him a small smile, before sighing, "I've always had feelings for you Drake, but I'm happy to know I won't be marrying someone who will never love me."

"That's one of the reasons why I wanted to call the whole thing off," he urged, "I knew it was not fair for either of us to be trapped in a loveless marriage."

"Thank you then," she simply replied, "we'll talk some more later, I have a class soon."

Draco nodded once more, and they both went their separate ways. He felt so lucky that their encounter had gone so smoothly, and he was pleasantly surprised at Pansy's maturity.

Now, he needed to find Hermione.

Hermione

The next morning was a blur. Beyond exhausted by the previous night, Hermione had slept in and nearly missed breakfast in the process. Trying to be as quick as possible, she had scrambled to find her robes and school uniform, had tied her bed hair in a pony tail and had darted for the Great Hall.

Before she'd reached the hall however, a young boy clad in Ravenclaw robes approached her. It took Hermione a few seconds to realize it had been Michael Corner.

She hadn't seen him since the battle of Hogwarts, at least not closely. He looked older, and his dark hair was now very well kept… kind of like the muggle footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, she thought. He looked taller as well, and his bone structure made him appear almost model-like.

"Granger," he murmured, a small grin playing at his thin lips, "good morning."

Was he flirting with her? Probably not, she presumed he was still dating Cho Chang.

"Michael, uh, hi," she still managed to return, while meeting his cobalt eyes.

His eyes were… intense. He had those kind of eyes you couldn't look away from, and eventually get lost in. 'So does Draco,' she reminded herself. And as if by instinct, her subconscious averted her incoming Draco thoughts and shifted her attention back to the Ravenclaw boy in front of her.

Corner smelled like parchment and if his wandering gaze was any indication, he was attracted to her… what if he was her Sodalis?

'What the HELL?' she all too-quickly scolded herself. How could she already be on the hunt for her Sodalis when she still hadn't broken the news to Draco?

Apparently her inner turmoil had shown on her face as Corner's grin faltered and he asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes," she breathed, trying to cover up the shakiness she felt all over, "was there something I could help you with?" She was Head Girl after all… maybe it was a conflict that needed resolving?

His smiled returned as he replied, "Actually, yes there is," and his gaze had returned from roaming her body, back to her eyes, "I was wondering if you'd accompany me to Hogsmeade next weekend? The Three Broomsticks perhaps?"

Shocked, and quite frankly nervous, Hermione simply blurted, "I thought you were dating Cho Chang?"

"Not anymore," Corner dryly mumbled.

Feeling guilty for being a nosy little witch, Hermione began, "I am _so_ sorry, that's not my business," and added, "Can I let you know within the week? I might be swamped with assignments this weekend."

His smile returned once more as he nodded, winked, and made his way into the Great Hall.

Hermione sighed, what had just happened? Since when was Michael Corner into _her_?

Her thoughts about Michael Corner quickly disappeared as she entered the hall and saw _him_.

It had become very quiet in the hall, and their eyes made contact for a few seconds. Hermione knew there was worry in his gaze, which only made her next task even more difficult.

Hermione wanted nothing more than to be with Draco, carefree and simply happy… but she couldn't. The Gryffindor princess had been cursed, _literally_. But how could she tell him? _He_ would never understand. 'Malfoy thought the same about you,' the pestering voice inside her head chided.

Unable to look at him without feeling like she'd straight up vomit, she found solace in Ginny. The red-head was smiling at her with an expression so brilliant, it instantly warmed Hermione.

"'Mione! Come, sit!" Ginny beckoned.

Giving Ginny a small smile in return, Hermione made her way over but before she could sit, her eyes found Pansy's and she saw red. The snake was trying to size _her_ up? Didn't she know who she was dealing with? Hermione, as frustrated as ever simply sent her a look that may have resembled Lily's 'you are dead to me look' from How I Met Your Mother.

She once again looked away, and as she sat at the Gryffindor table, Hermione internally thanked whoever had taken part in inventing Quidditch… because it was just the two of them.

"Why aren't you at practice too, Gin?" Hermione murmured.

"Cramps," Ginny sighed, "the struggles of being a girl."

Hermione chuckled, "It does have its disadvantages."

As Ginny began recounting the events from Saturday night, Hermione saw something in her periphery vision and turned her head to see what had distracted her. She immediately regretted it however, as she saw Draco leading Pansy out of the hall.

Pansy had turned her head over her shoulder, muttering something inaudible to the Greengrass sisters, and as Hermione tried to decipher what she had said, Pansy's eyes met hers again and she blew the Gryffindor a kiss.

The jealousy Hermione had felt in that moment had hit her like stunning spell, and she'd frozen. Hermione had then decided that Draco was not her Sodalis.. not if he could lie to her like that and not if he didn't feel a connection between them like she had.

But then, who could it be?


	14. Simple Plan

**Ah! So, I've been extremely busy in life and I haven't been able to get this chapter up at the usual frequency, but here it is! I'm sorry for the wait, and I will be starting to update more frequently!**

 **I appreciate your feedback and I hope you guys can keep reviewing/commenting! It means a lot to me, tell me your thoughts, ideas, anything at all!**

 **Much love xx**

 **Chapter 14: Simple Plan**

Draco

There had been very few moments in Draco Malfoy's life where he had felt inferior. Once, his father had beat him senseless for arguing that purebloods were no better than any other wizards. Another time, his Aunt Bellatrix had humiliated him in front of other Death Eaters when he was unable to kill Dumbledore.

This time, he was sitting in potions class next to the only girl he'd wanted, and she couldn't even look at him.

He had already been seated in the classroom waiting for the lesson to begin when Hermione arrived. Their seats had been assigned by Slughorn earlier that semester, so she had no choice but to sit next to him, but Draco felt that today the air was different.

From the moment she sat down, her demeanour was cold and—uninterested. Draco had even tried to break the silence, but she simply ignored him.

"In today's class," Slughorn began, "we shall begin a project."

Immediately, Hermione's hand flew up.

"Yes Miss Granger?" Slughorn prompted.

"What project?" she demanded.

"Well," he sighed, "if you had given me the time to elaborate, I would have said it was on the Polyjuice potion."

She stilled, and Draco had to force himself not to smirk at her. Why did she even care?

"Your assignment will be completed with your current partner, and it is due in 3 weeks," Slughorn added.

Granger seemed to be in a state of utter devastation, and Draco began to internally panic. Why was she acting like Slughorn just ordered out her death sentence? Besides speaking with Pansy, he'd done absolutely nothing wrong.

As the lesson progressed Draco grew more frantic and impatient with the Gryffindor beside him, until he could no longer contain himself.

"Granger," he pleaded, "what is it?"

Hermione didn't so much as turn her head. No, she seemed to be hesitating, and ultimately opted to ignore Draco once more.

If that's how she wanted to play, then fine. Silent treatment it would be then.

When the class ended, she practically ran out of the room, leaving behind an annoyed and extremely confused Slytherin.

He'd never felt so…irrelevant. He knew he'd messed up by staying silent with Pansy, but never would Draco have expected this. Especially not from her. He knew when Hermione was actually upset about something, she'd have no issues showing it. Having her ignore him, especially after their recent…activities was unbearable.

Miserably, he made his way to his next class which happened to be divination. He grudgingly made his way to the classroom, finding solace in the fact that his friends were in this class with him, and Granger would be in arithmancy. He almost smirked at how much the witch hated divination, but the thought quickly vanished when he spotted something from across the corridor.

Draco watched as all the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors taking arithmancy made their way into Professor Vector's classroom, but was frozen as he witnessed his Head girl talking to none other than Michael Corner.

The Ravenclaw boy in question seemed all too eager to be speaking with her, and Draco couldn't make out what they were saying. All of a sudden, Granger laughed, and horrible pang of jealousy hit Draco.

How could she flash that undeserving boy one of her dazzling smiles? Let him hear her sweet laugh? Why wasn't he the one making her laugh like that? 'Easy, she's ignoring me' he thought.

Unable to qualm his curiosity, he muttered, "Audiunt Maxima," and his hearing became enhanced.

Suddenly, it was like he was standing right next to them.

Draco moved into an alcove so they would not be able to see him, and began listening intently.

"So, Hermione, did you think of my offer?" prompted Corner.

A few seconds passed, and Draco was even more curious to know what the Ravenclaw had offered her.

Typically, when Ravenclaws offered something, it had to do with homework for sexual favours. Draco had utilized offers similar to those _many_ times. But Granger, the control freak would never let another soul touch her work, never mind do it for her. Especially not for sexual favours. Bloody saint, he scoffed to himself.

"I have," she replied… _flirtatiously_?, "and I accept."

What the hell? What bloody offer had Corner made for her to accept?

"Brilliant," Corner exclaimed, "Saturday it is!"

Draco froze once more. Saturday was the Hogsmeade trip. They were going to Hogsmeade… together? Impossible, he corrected himself, she would not go to Hogsmeade with some guy she barely knew.

But as he peered out from the alcove, Draco saw them making their way into the Arithmancy classroom together, with the Ravenclaw boy's hand on her back.

Practically seething, he muttered, " _finite_ ," to his spell, and made his way into the divination room.

His thoughts were racing, and he was just completely and utterly confused. Why was Hermione doing this? Just yesterday they had been entangled in one another and today she was accepting a date offer from another guy. It was uncharacteristic of her, and if he was being honest with himself, it was cold.

Hermione hadn't known Draco was the jealous-type, so she couldn't be doing this to punish him. This was for herself, and that hurt even more.

Just as he took his seat, Trelawney began the lesson by speaking of dreams, and the omens they could forebode.

His train of thought was interrupted by the boy sitting at table he shared.

"What's got you so worked up Drake?" Blaise whispered.

"Nothing," he muttered in response.

"Mate," he whispered once more, "I've known you my whole life, and I know when something is bothering you, so spill."

Draco thought about it, and his initial instinct was to deny anything. He was a Slytherin after all, and honesty didn't come naturally to him.

But, as he thought a bit more he realized he needed someone to talk to. He couldn't act like this entire situation wasn't driving him mad. He had never felt this way for someone, and he didn't even know why. Of course, she was beautiful, but it was more than that.

Hermione Granger was like his _match_. Everything about her was appealing to him, it always had been. No matter how much he would tell himself that she was beneath him, or that she was 'ugly', Draco never truly believed it. He had always found her to be important. Important to hate, important to best in school and now important to love.

"We'll talk at lunch, yeah?" he finally replied.

Blaise simply shot him a grin of satisfaction, and Draco simply felt defeated.

What was she doing to him?

Hermione

Potions had been suffocating her. Hermione knew Draco was confused, and she couldn't blame him. She herself had been confused, and now she just felt guilty for hiding the truth.

She knew it wasn't her own fault, but no one deserved being lied to. Not even him, even though he was clearly lying about his relationship with Pansy.

The thought angered her once more, and when the class had finally ended, she practically flew to Arithmancy.

Hermione had never been more eager to see Septima Vector's face, knowing Draco would not be in her next lesson.

As she made her way to the class room, a voice brought Hermione back from her racing thoughts.

The Head Girl looked up to find Michael Corner's blue eyes staring back.

"Michael!" she gasped, "you startled me."

He chuckled, "Sorry for that Hermione, I was just hoping to walk to Arithmancy together."

"Oh," she mumbled, "yeah of course."

With all Hermione's current problems, she had nearly forgotten about the Ravenclaws advances from earlier that day. He had wanted to go to the Three Broomsticks with her, and she didn't know if it was a good idea.

Mainly because she didn't want to go on a date with anyone other than Draco, but also because if she couldn't really commit herself to Corner then she would've wasted both of their time.

Hermione also couldn't live under a rock waiting for her Sodalis to find her, so in the meantime a little fun couldn't hurt anyone right?

'Unless we kiss and it hurts my Sodalis,' she chided herself.

Of course there was _that_. And she had already kissed and done _other things_ with Draco, so her Sodalis could have, or most likely _did_ felt immense pain.

Corner was definitely not as forward as Draco though.

The Ravenclaw boy then stopped them in the corridor before entering the classroom, and smiled at her. It was a really nice smile, she thought to herself. Draco rarely smiled, probably because of what he'd been put through, but still it was nice to have someone be in a good mood around her.

"Hermione," he began, but before he could say anything he hiccuped.

And it was the cutest thing ever.

He looked at her with an embarrassed expression, but she just laughed.

"Excuse me," he'd let out, but then joined in on her laughing.

"Don't be! It was cute" she replied amidst the laughing.

Once they finally stopped, he looked at her with a new found confidence.

"So, Hermione, did you think of my offer?"

Hermione thought about saying no. She really did. But what reason did she have other than the chance of upsetting Draco, or potentially hurting her Sodalis?

What if Corner was her Sodalis? It might be beneficial to them both if she at least did some investigating.

With her own new found confidence, she replied in a manner more flirtatious than intended, "I have, and I accept."

He smiled at her again, and this time she returned it.

"Brilliant! Saturday it is!" he exclaimed.

Hermione nodded her agreement, and then motioned for them to get to their lesson before they were late.

As they made their way into the lesson, he placed his hand on her back and she felt a burning sensation where he touched her. She spent the rest of the lesson debating whether it was a good burn, or a bad one.

Draco

Draco had made his way into the Great Hall, and to his relief Granger was nowhere in sight.

He was still hurt by her apparent rejection, and felt betrayed by her newfound interest in that bloody Ravenclaw.

His eyes wandered the Slytherin table, and landed on Blaise. The git had been in class with him, but was already eating. Draco nearly rolled his eyes at his friends incessant appetite, but thought better of it seeing as he too, was starving.

Taking a seat across from his mate, Draco muttered, "Zabini."

And the Italian boy simply met his gaze, and smiled with a mouth-full of food. Git.

After Blaise finished chewing, he raised his brow, "So?"

Annoyed at his nonchalant behaviour, Draco decided to annoy him a bit; make him work for it.

"So, what?" he replied innocently, while taking his first bite into the Lasagna that had been prepared for them that day.

"So," Zabini began, with a rather impatient tone, "what has you so hot and bothered?" then with further thought he added, "Or better who?"

"If I tell you, no one else can know," Draco replied seriously.

"Alright," Zabini stated.

"I'm serious, _no one_ can know," Draco reiterated.

"Alright, alright! No one else will know! Just get on with it, yeah?" Blaise urged him.

"Okay," Draco breathed, "well, for a long time I've hated Granger right?"

"Right," replied Zabini.

"Wrong," the Head boy declared, "I always told myself I did. And maybe in some instances I felt that I did, but it was almost always out of jealousy or confusion. I was told to hate her, her _kind_ —"

"Muggleborns," added Zabini.

"Yeah," Draco breathed, now nervous, "but the truth is, none of that matters to me, at least not anymore. And as of late, I find myself wanting her. Wanting to be with her—"

"What about Pansy?" demanded the Italian.

"It's over between us. We both agreed we couldn't be in a loveless marriage."

Draco then looked around to see if anyone was listening. It seemed that no one was, so he continued, "And yesterday things… escalated between me and Granger if you can catch my drift."

"YOU SHAGGED HER?" Blaise yelled.

"Keep your bloody voice down!" Draco seethed, "No I did not! Just… other things," he now sighed, "anyway, the point is we were interrupted by Pansy, and the girl said some awful things to Granger."

"Shit," Blaise exclaimed, "did you stop her?"

With a look of regret, Draco simply replied, "No."

Zabini looked like he was processing everything he'd just heard.

"And now she's not speaking to me at all. She left the room yesterday and I couldn't find her all night!" he groaned, "Then this morning I find her accepting a date offer from that Ravenclaw prefect Corner."

"Damn," Blaise added.

"Damn? That's right! Damn me to hell!" Draco replied, "I don't know what to do, she's ignoring me."

"Isn't it obvious? You need to make sure her attention is always directed towards you!"

"What do you mean? How?" Draco prompted, uncharacteristically desperate.

"Well, as you obviously know, every lad in this school thinks she's like the hottest girl at Hogwarts, and sooner or later they're going to try to get with her. You need to make sure the only guy she's thinking about is you!"

"Be everywhere, take over her thoughts, make her jealous, make her unable to resist you!" Zabini proposed, with a diabolical tone.

The plan was so Slytherin Draco was disappointed he hadn't thought of it himself.

Blaise could really be a numbskull at times, but there was a reason why he was Draco's best mate, and this was it. He finally felt hopeful, for the first time in the day, he felt content.

"That might just work," Draco smiled.

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	15. Play With Fire

**Chapter 15:Play With Fire**

Hermione

The last couple of days had been rather dull. Hermione had returned to her normal routine of attending all her lessons, catching up on her school work and chatting with her friends. It was all very mundane, and she had grown resentful towards her curse.

Sure, she'd become more physically attractive, and sure she never had to live a life trying to find her soulmate. She already had one apparently but it still hurt to know that the choice would never be hers… and to make things worse she had begun to miss the Slytherin boy who was now tormenting her in the form of dreams.

It was also killing her to know who had cursed her, and better why? She'd approached Trelawney Friday morning to inquire more details about the curse, but the older woman had no further information.

Basically, Hermione was cursed and there was absolutely nothing to do about it.

As she applied some light make-up for her "date" with Corner, she realized she'd never dreaded a Saturday this much before. It wasn't because she had an issue with the boy, but it just felt… _wrong_. Not morally wrong, but she'd had this horrible feeling all over her body like she was physically ill. Hermione had hoped it had nothing to do with her curse, because that would mean that any guy who wasn't her Sodalis couldn't even take her out… which also meant she'd need to swear off all men until she knew for certain who it was.

Bollocks.

"What's that about bollocks, Granger? Did you want to see mine?" shouted Draco from the common room.

Oh my god. She'd said that out loud, and he'd heard her. _Again_.

She really was an unlucky witch.

"In your dreams Malfoy!" Hermione practically screamed, thinking about her own dreams. Projecting much?

She sighed to herself. Hermione was beyond annoyed. Annoyed with him, for not speaking to her all week, and annoyed with herself for simply being in this situation. She knew the latter wasn't her fault, but Draco… she knew he'd been ignoring her due to her own silent treatment, but why wasn't he even fighting for her? Bloody ferret was probably too busy shagging Pansy to care.

As she silently seethed at the last thought, Hermione began dressing herself for her trip to Hogsmeade. The Head Girl had decided on wearing simple high-waisted blue jeans, which thankfully hugged her curves perfectly and a black knitted turtle-neck. It was November, so she knew to dress warm. Hermione added fashionable leather booties that had a thick yet short heel, and a nude trench-coat to complete the look.

Overall, she was quite pleased with the outcome of her appearance, even having managed to straighten her usually wild curls.

Making her way down to the common room, the Gryffindor princess prayed to any and every god that Draco wouldn't be there, but being the unlucky witch that she was…

The Head Boy was seated at the small dining table eating a green apple, and was dressed so casual that Hermione nearly gasped. Never would she have guessed that Draco bloody Malfoy owned jeans and yet here he was, wearing blue jeans and a simple white t-shirt. He was so effortlessly attractive and Hermione had to refrain from marching over and continuing where they'd left off in the same spot last week.

"Granger," he purred as his gaze racked up and down Hermione's body, "don't you look pretty."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but her cheeks flared "I'm surprised you even noticed," she scoffed, trying to calm her now racing heart, "what with all the time you've been spending with Parkinson."

His grin faltered, and he suddenly looked hurt by her words. She nearly apologized, until he replied, "That's funny, because I was going to say the same about you," he smirked, "I'm sure Corner will have your _undivided_ attention today."

Bloody ferret. He was provoking her… and she wasn't going to have any of it. If he wanted to taunt her, then she would do the same; but better.

"You're absolutely right, _Malfoy_ ," she purred and approached him, " _he_ , will have my undivided attention today," Hermione added, standing so close to him that she could count all of his eyelashes individually.

Before Malfoy could even reply, Hermione whirled and made her way to the door… and to her most likely dreadful date.

Draco

The plan was to get her attention, be "irresistible", but it was going to shit. Complete _shit_. All week the girl had avoided him and vice versa. Draco knew Granger would never be the one to break her silence, bloody Gryffindor pride and what not, but he also was too stubborn to make the first move, so they were in a stalemate.

As he bit down on his Granny Smith, Draco contemplated going up to her room and just confronting her about the entire situation, but it wasn't really a Slytherin thing to do. In fact, it was a stupid thing to do considering she had a date with that git Corner.

"Bollocks!" shouted Hermione from her room.

Draco stifled a laugh, but he missed their banter, so he thoughtlessly replied, "What's that about bollocks Granger? Did you want to see mine?"

"In your dreams Malfoy!" she quipped.

Very true, he thought to himself. The bloody witch plagued his dreams nearly every night. He'd dreamt of simple things like walking hand in hand alongside the girl, to dark and sexual things like her lips around his co—

"Granger," Draco purred as the girl in question walked into the common room, "don't you look pretty," he added as his gaze made its way up and down her body. And he meant it.

His heart was wrenching at the thought of Hermione going for lunch with Corner, especially since she actually put in effort to look good for him. Bloody hell, that guy does _not_ deserve her. No one does.

Draco expected one of her sweet smiles in return for the complement, but instead he got an eye-roll, her cheeks slightly blushing and a snarky comment.

"I'm surprised you even noticed, what with all the time you've been spending with Parkinson."

She still thinks he's interested in Pansy? Draco almost laughed but the thought of her avoiding him because of something as stupid as that made him feel even worse.

He was going to apologize to her for everything, and he probably should have but it was the first time in a week that they had spoken, and Draco just wanted to drag it on. Maybe then she'd forget about her date and decide to spend the day with him instead.

But the look on her face was unreadable. Maybe if he'd taunted her some more?

"That's funny, because I was going to say the same about you," Draco teased, "I'm sure Corner will have your _undivided_ attention today."

Hermione's cheeks reddened once more, but this time she seemed upset. Shit.

"You're absolutely right, _Malfoy_ " she purred seductively while also approaching him, " _he_ , will have my undivided attention today."

' _He_ and not _you_ ,' she should have said, and it would've hurt just the same. Draco didn't even have a snarky comeback, which was saying something.

Their proximity alone was enough to kill Draco, but Hermione's words were enough to leave him frozen in place. The Head Girl's immediate departure after her torturous words was extremely convenient, as he was unable to move for several minutes.

When he finally started feeling his legs beginning to cramp, Draco decided it was time to move… and to make moves. He would most definitely need Blaise though.

Hermione Granger's world was about to be thrown upside down, he smiled to himself.

Hermione

Guilty. Hermione felt guilty.

She hadn't been able to pin-point the feeling that had been overwhelming her since she left Draco back in the common room, but suddenly the word came to her.

She was now sitting alone in a carriage on her way to Hogsmeade, and she wanted nothing more than to jump off, run back to Draco and apologize.

'Get it together' she chided herself. Hermione was going into this date with the worst mindset possible, and she needed to change it, _fast_.

Simply avoiding everyone was not a permanent solution to her problem, and could possibly make things worse in the long run, therefore, she was to convince herself that this could end up being a good idea.

Hermione had needed to investigate for potential Sodalis' anyways, so what was the harm?

As she vacated the carriage, her eyes immediately found Corner's blue ones, and he made his way over to her. Hermione had to physically stop herself from grimacing, and slowly walked in his direction.

But as they met, something happened that Hermione had not been expecting whatsoever.

Corner had taken her into an embrace upon greeting her, and had kissed her.

It had all happened so quickly that Hermione had not even registered what was happening, until it was too late.

Instantly, she began to feel a tingly burning sensation all over her body, which then developed into Hermione feeling like she had been lit on fire. Literally.

The pain was unbearable, and as she looked around her, Hermione realized she was on the ground, squirming and yet, unable to move or really see anything. Everything was a blur of pain and fire.

No sounds could be made out except an incessant screeching noise that was bound to drive her insane. Was this what the Cruciatus felt like? No, this was definitely worse.

She was dying. She knew it. There was no way she would survive through this pain. The Gryffindor was being scorched alive.

Hermione felt her insides continuing to burn, and burn and burn, knowing there would be nothing left but ash and bone.

Her eyes were beginning to close, and on the verge of death, she finally thought to herself, 'What about my Sodalis?'

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	16. Mad World

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, and I left you with a huge cliffhanger... I've just been so busy and going through a lot of personal problems so I haven't gotten around to writing but I am going to try to upload more frequently moving forward!

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 **Ch.16: Mad World**

Hermione

Autumn had become Hermione's favourite season over the years. The vibrant leaves changing colour, the perfect weather for sweaters, the warm drinks by the fire… were all so wholesome to her.

Just the smell of autumn could bring a smile to her face, but not today.

As she lay atop the most uncomfortable mattress she had ever encountered, and smelled the autumn air, Hermione fearfully wondered where she was, and why she was there.

Unable to move, or even open her eyes, the Head girl needed to rely on her sense of hearing it seemed.

"…and what of the boy?" a hushed voice demanded. McGonagall? It was hard to say.

"He has been well taken care of, I can assure you Headmistress," muttered another hushed voice. At least Hermione had been right about the first one.

What boy though?

"What condition was he in when he was found? Was it as dire as Ms. Grangers?" McGonagall prompted.

Dire condition? What in the bloody hell had happened?

"Well, to be quite frank, it was worse," the voice had started to become clearer, Hermione could nearly pin-point the person—well woman it seemed, "the lad was unconscious when found, and he had bled from his nose a bit, however it is unclear if the blood was induced by the curse or from the fall he took."

It was Trelawney.

"That poor boy," McGonagall sighed, "has he awoken?"

"Unfortunately, he has," replied Trelawney, "as I was unable to perform a memory charm on him, the boy actually woke up and demanded to be released from the infirmary immediately."

McGonagall chuckled, "Of course the memory charm did not work on the boy, he is a skilled occlumens, and his mind is an impenetrable fortress."

Trelawney did not reply to that, but added, "It worked on the girl. She will have no recollection of yesterday's events or of the past few wee…"

Hermione couldn't hear the rest, as she was buzzing in confusion. What the bloody hell had happened yesterday? Why did her memories need to be erased? Who was this boy?

Without thinking, Hermione called for McGonagall, letting out a barely audible "Headmistress!" but choked on her words, as her throat felt like it had been lit on fire.

"Yes dear," the woman replied, and Hermione heard her footsteps rush over to where she apparently lay in what she had guessed was the infirmary from Trelawney's words, still unable to open her eyes.

"Wha—" Hermione began, but was hushed by the older woman.

"Shh," McGonagall prodded, "you mustn't exert yourself too much, you are still in recovery dear, you were severely injured, and I will explain everything but first, I will have Madame Pomfrey prepare you some tea, as well as some broth for that sore throat of yours."

In a state of panic, Hermione felt herself begin to cry. What was going on? She didn't want any blasted tea, she wanted answers damnit!

"I-I cc-an't s-s-ee," she let out between sobs.

"Oh! I will fix that right away Ms. Granger!" McGonagall exclaimed, "Finite incantatem!"

As the light of day immediately poured in behind her eyelids, Hermione choked back another sob and slowly opened her eyes.

Looking around the room, she saw McGonagall standing above her, Trelawney near the exit point, and a messy bed directly across from her own.

She needed to know the truth, and maybe whoever had been in the infirmary with her could help.

"Better?" asked McGonagall, with an unfamiliar smile spread across her mature visage.

"Loads," Hermione replied, as she began to sit upright.

"Headmistress," the Head girl continued, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Professor Trelawney about events that transpired yesterday involving another student…and was hoping to be filled in?"

The older woman sighed, "You don't miss one thing, do you Miss Granger?"

Hermione simply waited on a real answer.

"Very well," McGonagall said, "the events that occurred yesterday were due to a stinging hex that had been directed at you that went extremely wrong, and for some unknown reason rebounded onto another student. You immediately fainted, and were brought to the infirmary, where we kept you unconscious for a prolonged period, as you had a very bad reaction."

A stinging hex gone wrong? Who could possibly fuck up a stinging hex so _badly_? Who would send her one in the first place? And who was the student it rebounded off of?

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you would need to use a memory charm on me? What did you need me to forget?" Hermione demanded.

McGonagall paused, the gears clearly turning in her brilliant mind. Evidently, she had not expected Hermione to have heard that part of her conversation with Trelawney.

A moment later, she replied, "Well, there is no easy way for me to put this Miss Granger, but, we wanted you to forget the excruciating pain you endured in the moments following the hex."

"Okay—" Hermione began, but was unexpectedly interrupted by Trelawney, who had been silently listening the entire time.

"My dear, in the process of utilizing this memory charm, there was an unfortunate mishap, and well… it appears we made you forget more than the events of yesterday."

The head girl paled. "H-how m-much did I l-lose?"

Trelawney breathed, "What is the last thing you remember?"

Hermione thought for a moment, and then answered, "Getting ready for the Halloween dance."

Draco

About 20 minutes after Granger left their common room, Draco had found himself with Blaise in the dungeons.

"Since when does Draco Malfoy enlist the help of Blaise Zabini?" the Italian demanded.

Draco groaned to himself. He had a point… and yet—he was truly in need of help. He had never felt so lost when it came to a member of the opposite sex, and while Draco was the reigning ladies' man at Hogwarts, Blaise was a close second and was definitely the more creative one between the two of them.

"Since when does Blaise Zabini refer to himself in the third person?" Draco scoffed.

Blaise simply smirked, "Blaise will help Draco, on one condition."

"I don't negotiate with terrorists," Draco said.

"And I'm not a slave, therefore pay up or shut up!" Blaise teased.

The head boy sighed, he was in no place to be stubborn, so he asked Blaise about the condition, to which he replied, "You help me get into the She-Weasel's bed."

"I hardly know the girl Zabini! Plus, haven't you been trying to shag Pansy?" Draco whined.

"Purebloods are prude!" Blaise exclaimed.

"But the Weaselette is a pureblood—kind of…" Draco said.

Blaise smiled, "Don't get technical with me Malfoy, you know Ginny Weasley is no prude, and I want her," then added in a more serious tone, "Make. It. Happen."

"Alright," Malfoy said, "now help me win Granger back, she's currently in Hogsmeade with that Ravenclaw Corner."

"I've heard he usually sleeps with girls on the first—," Blaise began, but stopped after garnering a look from the boy across from him that was so cold and murderous, he felt it in his soul.

"—anyway… I think you should do something romantic, you know, 'woo' her as they say."

"Romantic? Like flowers and poems… I'd rather not," Draco frowned.

"Then I suppose you'd rather lose her to Michael Corner," Blaise quipped.

Draco knew Blaise had been right. Granger was the type to appreciate a 'grand gesture', and doing one for her would definitely get him back in her good graces. He missed having her around him, her incessant nagging and all. The past week had been torture, seeing her and teasing her without any real conversation or sense of intimacy. Draco had actually began considering her one of his best mates (major crush on her put aside), and simply craved her company.

He would perform a grand gesture. It was high time to put his pride aside, and make things right. Hermione should not be in Hogsmeade with Corner—it should be him taking her out, having butterbeer with her, making her laugh.

Draco suddenly rose from his seat in the dungeons commons, and quickly thanked Blaise, making his way to Hogsmeade to purchase everything he would need. Hopefully he wouldn't run into them on their date… he would probably not be able to handle it.

As he began walking up the stairs, Draco started to feel a bit dizzy.

The dizziness then turned to a tingling sensation, which then turned into the feeling of being burned alive.

Now, Draco had once been a death eater. Death eaters must all be branded as such, with a horrid mark that is burned into the flesh of their forearms. He had undergone the ceremony in his home, and it had been the most painful experience of his life—until today.

The burning sensation he had felt at Malfoy Manor while receiving the Dark Mark had paled in comparison to the burning he now felt all over his body in the Hogwarts staircase.

"Somebody please! Help me! I've been lit on fire!" Draco screamed.

The pain was so unbearable, he thought he was going to faint, so he grabbed the railing of the moving staircase but not soon enough.

Draco's vision blurred and he collapsed, his face falling flat on the steps.

As he lay there, about to die, the last face he saw was that of Professor Slughorn.

"Dear boy," Slughorn said, and then everything went black.

* * *

Having been injured so many times from Quidditch, Draco could easily identify the infirmary's prison-style mattress, and he knew from the moment he regained consciousness, that he was there. Why? He didn't know, and for some odd reason he could not open his eyes… However he immediately heard voices, and the Slytherin in him decided to eavesdrop before announcing that he was awake.

"The boy should wake soon," the first voice whispered, "I trust his memory will be taken care of when I return."

"I assure you it will be, Headmistress," said the second hushed voice.

Memory charm? Draco smiled inwardly, 'try me', he thought to himself.

As soon as the first person left the infirmary, he felt the second person approach his bed side.

"Oblivi—" they began, but the Head boy interjected.

"Save your breath," he chided, "I was a former death eater," lifting his left sleeve, "my mind is a wall."

"That's too bad," said a familiar voice, "I don't want to have to explain things again."

"Explain what? Who attacked me, or why I'm suddenly visually impaired?" Draco angrily asked.

"Finite incantatem," the voice, who he now saw had been the divination professor.

"Professor Trelawney?" Draco said, "What is the meaning of this?"

The woman sighed, clearly not wanting to share information. He'd be damned if he didn't get the entire truth from her though, so Draco simply glared at her until she answered.

"What I am about to tell you young man, must not be repeated to _anyone,_ " she began, and he nodded, more confused than ever.

"This is the result of an ages old curse, and unfortunately it is due to someone else that you are here," Trelawney said.

"Okay… once more, this time, perhaps a tad less vague," Draco replied, rather annoyed.

"Alright," she breathed, "I believe you to be a victim of the Sodalis curse, and you were harmed yesterday, as a result of your Sodalis having engaged in some sort of sexual activity with another," Trelawney said.

"What the hell is a Sodalis curse?"

* * *

After having gotten a full explanation on the Sodalis curse, Draco felt sick.

A "soul mate"? That he didn't even know? That was engaging in sexual activities with another? What the FUCK?

"Who is it," was all he could muster.

"She's in here too, the same thing that happened to you, also happened to her yesterday," Trelawney replied.

"Who?" Draco prompted.

"See for yourself Mr. Malfoy," pointing at another bed in the infirmary, that had a curtain drawn around it.

Slowly, he got up, and his whole body ached.

"Take it easy, you are still in very bad shape," said the professor.

"I don't care," he breathed angrily, making his way over to the other side of the room.

He needed to know who he'd be spending the rest of his life with.

Finally, he was in front of the drawn curtains covering his Sodalis. It dawned on him now, what if it was someone he barely knew? Or worse, someone fucking repulsive.

He turned to look at Trelawney, who seemed all too eager to see his reaction.

"Who would do something like this to me or…" he looked at the curtain and then back at the teacher, "her?"

Trelawney sighed, "someone who wishes to possess valuable blood, I suppose…"

Draco swallowed. 'Here goes nothing.'

Upon opening the curtain, Draco sucked in a breath.

He was looking at the last person he'd ever expect to see.

Hermione fucking Granger.

Speechless, he looked again at Trelawney, who was now smiling at him, like she knew something she shouldn't.

"H-how is this possible?" Draco said, barely audible.

"I don't know mister Malfoy, but you don't appear to be too upset, so I gather that you fancy her," the professor said knowingly.

Draco didn't answer that. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know anything anymore.

Quickly, and regrettably (as it hurt to move), Draco got dressed, and left the infirmary.

Not even knowing where he was going, Draco's only thought was that Hermione Granger was his soul mate.

What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

* * *

 **Please review! x**


	17. How Soon is Now?

So, in 2 days it's gonna be a year since I first published this story. I have to say, I definitely thought I would have finished it by now, but there's so much I want and so many ideas I have, and so little time in my life to update as frequently as I'd like to. Thank you to those who've read every chapter, and reviewed and given me advice. I hope you guys stick by me till the end, I really do care for this story (it's my first) and I want it to be good and end well!

* * *

Hermione

So, over a week of her life had been lost. Cool. Great. Fan-FUCKING-tastic.

Hermione didn't know what to think anymore. Was the sky still blue? Was she no longer the brightest witch of her age? Had she lost her bloody mind? She had so many questions…

After being somewhat 'filled in' by the divination professor, Hermione had been excused from all classes that day, which she had reluctantly agreed upon seeing as she actually could not bring herself to do anything besides lay in her bed and contemplate the joke that was her life.

Who in Merlin's name would send a stinging hex to her, and why would she "need" to forget it? She had endured far worse last year, and Hermione had thought all her enemies dead or at the very least too scared to attack again after the war. None of it made sense, and she knew Trelawney's "answers" would do nothing to quell her ever-growing curiosity about the entire situation—including who the other student in the infirmary was.

The latter part of her question however, would not remained unanswered for long.

A knock on the door had snapped Hermione out of her incessant over-thinking, and she hadn't lost too much of her memories to know who the only person it could be. The only other person who had access to her dormitory—one Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy? Is that you?," she asked.

"Yes… may I come in?," Draco had replied, his voice muffled by the thick wooden door.

Unsure why he'd want to be in her room, but fed-up of the curiosity brewing inside of her about everything else, Hermione simply replied "yes," and the door immediately opened.

The tall blonde walked through the door, his eyes immediately finding hers and he looked… lost.

Never had Hermione seen Malfoy look so vulnerable, so she got up and uncharacteristically motioned for him to sit.

Now sitting, she turned to him and looked him up and down. Upon closer inspection, she noticed red-rimmed eyes… which scared her because… Draco Malfoy, king of iciness and mystery.. being emotional? Unheard of.

"What brings you here Malfoy?," was all she could say to hide her confusion and surprise.

A moment passed, as he carefully looked at her, unable to mask his emotions for once and then he sighed.

"I don't know," he said with a shaky breath, "I had to see you."

"You… had to see _me_?," was all Hermione could let out, paralyzed with shock at the thought of Draco Malfoy wanting anything to do with her besides perform head duties.

Hermione couldn't deny the chemistry between them, especially in the days leading up to the Halloween dance, but… had something _happened_? Of course not, she immediately chided herself—he would never. Besides, he'd gone with Pansy, and _that_ she remembered.

"I'm—I'm so sorry about everything, I don't even know where to begin," Draco started, but Hermione quickly stopped him, needing clarification first. She needed _ANSWERS_ damn it!

"Look Malfoy, I don't mean to be harsh with you, as we have been rather friendly with one another recently… or from what I can remember, but—"

"From what you can remember?," he'd interrupted.

"Yes, now, if you'd let me finish things would be more _clear_ ," Hermione snapped.

Draco gulped, as if scared and then simply nodded for her to continue.

Where was she even going with this? Did she trust him enough to reveal information regarding her attack? He was a death eater after all… maybe he knew her attacker? Nonsense, she immediately thought. Draco Malfoy was a changed man, she could feel it in her gut, and she certainly trusted her gut.

"Yesterday, I was struck with a stinging hex," Hermione began, noticing Draco instantly scowl and wondering why it upset him but continued, "and apparently the hex not only wounded me, but it rebounded and hit a fellow student," she breathed, "I was brought to the infirmary, and because the pain was so excruciating, I lost consciousness and when I awoke, my memories were gone."

Draco looked at her in horror, but said nothing so she continued.

"To be more specific, when I woke up, I overheard Professor Trelawney and Headmistress McGonagall talking about a memory charm they'd failed to perform on the other injured student but had performed on me… and things went wrong. I had lost more memories than intended, and the last thing I remember is getting ready for the Halloween dance with Ginny," Hermione concluded.

She had expected a smirk, or a snort, or something that indicated his lack of sympathy, but instead she got an even paler version of the palest person she knew. And it scared her.

Draco swallowed and looked deep in thought when he finally replied, "So, let me get this straight… the last thing you can remember is the Halloween dance? And nothing else after?"

"Yes."

"The _entire_ night?"

"Well, to be honest the last thing I remember precisely, was that I saw you dancing with Pansy, and then leaving," Hermione said, nearly adding 'and wanting to throw up.'

"Oh," was all Draco managed to let out after looking like he was about to throw up himself.

"Oh?"

He didn't reply this time. In fact, he got up and mumbled something along the lines of "I'm tired" as he left her quarters and left Hermione even more confused than she was before he visited her.

A few seconds later she could hear the door to his room open and close, and all she could think to herself is that she was so beyond unlucky. Clearly the dance hadn't gone her way, seeing as Malfoy still didn't care too much about her.

Sad, confused and tired, Hermione decided to go to sleep. She would try to figure things out tomorrow, and hopefully be more successful.

* * *

Draco

Ceilings were cool. They held everything up, despite gravity forcing everything down upon them. He wished he was a ceiling. To be strong, holding everything together and never falling down would be a dream.

Draco's dreams never came true though, he thought as he lay in his bed, staring at the stark white ceiling above him.

He was unsure of how much time he'd spent laying there, thinking about how he'd lost the girl he liked due to his own stupidity and memory charms. He could tell all the progress he'd made with her had gone straight to hell and even worse, she didn't remember it.

How could he explain to her that they were basically magical soul mates without having her laugh in his face? He knew it would be impossible, but what was worse was that she'd been with someone else and that was why he even knew about this predicament at all.

Fucking Corner. At least Granger wouldn't remember him either.

She'd never be able to be with him now anyway… or anyone else for that matter, and neither would he. Why did they have to be cursed? Who would do this and why?

Three knocks on his door had him sitting up on his bed. Who could be knocking on his door at—he checked the time—2 a.m.? Alarmed, Draco grabbed his wand and slowly made his way for the door.

A moment later, there was another knock and Draco quickly opened the door. He pointed his wand, ready to disarm whoever it was on the other side only to find a tired-looking, silk pyjama wearing—

"Granger?" he breathed, "is everything okay?"

"I've had a nightmare," Hermione replied, "one I think I've had before but I can't—" her voice cracked, and tears were forming, "I c-can't remember."

He looked at her then as she shook, feeling so badly about not having told her anything and uncharacteristically brought her into his arms, and hugged her.

She stiffened for a split second, and then accepted his embrace. Draco could feel Hermione's tears on his shirt, but he didn't care. She had come to him, and trusted him enough to cry while he hugged her.

"Tomorrow," he said, "I will tell you everything, but for now, we should probably get some sleep. It is 2 a.m. afterall."

Hermione backed away, but only slightly and replied, "You will?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," she began looking around his room, adding "would it be okay if I stayed with you tonight… in here?"

"You want to stay in here… with me?" Draco barely managed to let out.

"I'll stay on the floor I promise, I just don't want to be alone and Gryffindor tower is far and—"

"Nonsense, Granger you'll stay on the bed and I'll take the floor."

"No, it's your room, I'll take the floor," said Hermione.

"I insist Granger, please," Draco replied.

"Ok how about we both stay on the bed, but we make a pillow wall so it's not too uncomfortable or inappropriate for either of us," Hermione suggested.

Draco thought to himself that he could never be uncomfortable in a bed with her, but kept that to himself, simply nodding at Granger and hoping she wouldn't catch onto his eagerness for this sleepover. What a turn of events!

As they lay in bed, he could practically hear Hermione's thoughts, as he looked at her in the darkness, Draco could see that she really wanted to say something but clearly was afraid to.

He sighed, "what is it Granger?"

"Nothing," she whispered.

"I can tell you want to say something," Draco replied.

"I don't."

"Granger it's written all over your face."

"You can't even see my—"

"Just," he whispered, "say it."

"Fine," she breathed, "why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I like you," he answered, without hesitation.

Granger didn't reply for several moments. Maybe she didn't believe him? She must still be able to remember that they were at least amicable before that dance…

"I like you too," Granger finally replied, "thank you for being so kind tonight despite everything."

Draco felt himself smile, and turned to look at her. She was beautiful even in the darkness, and she smelt like how he remembered. That sweet amber, mixed with a fresh laundry-like smell.

Hermione turned to look at him as well and met his eyes. She smiled back at him, and for a moment Draco truly felt like he was in heaven once more.

"Goodnight Granger," he said.

Slowly, she leaned in, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He froze.

"Goodnight, Draco," and she turned back around.

Maybe he had a second chance to make things right, maybe they were supposed to be together. All Draco knew was that he would try.

* * *

Please Review! xx


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